Peter Pan
by TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL
Summary: Slade. A vengeful cousin. Custody. Break-up. Ghosts and new villains. Visions and epidemics. All happened after their homecoming from Tokyo. All situations after Starfire. The Titans' fearless leader, as much as he wanted, just felt that the only way to save her from this destruction is something that was against his mind—but was it against his heart?
1. Confessions, Compressions

**Author's Note: Hi! It's me again…I am so delighted to hear from you guys! Now…let's get started with the fic…**

**Disclaimer: I never have, I never am, and I never will own Teen Titans. Well, maybe in the future…just kidding!**

**Dedication: Still to you, of course!**

* * *

Chapter One

Confessions, Compressions

* * *

"Starfire, it was a mistake."

The sun was slowly dipping into the mountains of the horizon. It was giving its last rays of the day, and it truly amazes Starfire on how this phenomenon is done perfectly. On Tamaran, they did not have this magical scene, and she wishes that it had. She sat on the roof, chin on her knees. She was letting the cool breeze touch her bare skin and blow her scarlet hair. Closing her eyes, she thought of Robin again.

"I'm so sorry, but, you have to accept the truth. I…" Robin braced himself for the next words that _shall_ come out from his mouth. "I…Starfire, I do not…love…you…that way. We are just…_friends_, the way we are in the past. And I don't… I don't want expectations."

Starfire had noticed that he gave a strong emphasis on the word 'friends'. How she hated him to be that way! What is he trying to tell her, that he doesn't ever want to spend all eternity with her after all the feelings she gave him? Starfire thought that it is highly possible that he could be lying, and there's a good reason for him to, and that is to protect her from harm. But she feels that she doesn't need to be guarded nor be saved from any danger because she's a matured person now, not a mindless, innocent kid. But didn't he just say that honesty is the key for successful relationships, and doesn't Robin struggle hard to achieve it? He would overly feel guilty for saying such things for scolding Starfire that he, himself, is being a total liar. But he didn't show signs of it, either he was a very good actor, or he didn't feel guilt at all. The thought made Starfire shudder.

"You are not being truthful with me. You are not being truthful with me, and I know it. Please, Robin, I know you are just petrified of-"

"I'm not scared of anything." He turned his back to Starfire, for the reason that he has no other choice, and because he doesn't want her to see his guileful face. Starfire was right. He felt horrible doing this to her. _Starfire... I'm so sorry._ "You know _nothing_ about me, Starfire. Nothing. I'm scared of nothing."

"Yes, you are," she fired back. "You are afraid of unlocking your feelings to me. After all I have done to you, after all the feelings I've given you. You even think of doing this to me?"

"Starfire. I didn't take you on this roof to argue with your and my feelings. I brought you here to confess. To make my way out of this puzzle. I'm confused, and I don't like that feeling a bit. I want this conversation short; I have got not an interest to listen to your words."

With that, he balled his fists. _Am I even doing the right thing?_ He asked himself. He heard Starfire cry. He felt self-conscious.

"Starfire," he turned to her, "I am not Robin, the boyfriend. You are not Starfire, the girlfriend. You and I? Friends. Titans. Heroes. And it will remain that way. I command you to take part in maintaining it to remain that way."

He faced the door leading downstairs behind him. He reached for the doorknob, and before he shut the door, Starfire spoke at the nick of time, saying "Robin, why are you doing this?" She sobbed. "What have I done wrong? What is this reason on why you hate me? I…demand an answer, please." She crumpled on the floor, still tearing-up on her knees. "Please."

"Goodbye," he ignored her question, causing her heart to disintegrate. "Starfire."

And he left. He did nothing to comfort her; he just left her sobbing on the cold floor of the Tower. No sweet words, no patting on the back. His voice was firm and business-like. The thought that he is already becoming like Bruce Wayne crossed his mind, but he disregarded it. He did not like it one bit.

Starfire opened her eyes, and observed the sky turn from red-orange to dark blue. She realized just now that she was exhausted from their homecoming, and that she had been spacing-out for five hours since the tear-jerking argument. She sighed. After a minute or two, someone's hand touched her shoulder. She jumped for she was alarmed of the fact that she was not alone. She hoped for a second that it was Robin, but took it back after remembering what he has done to her. Providentially, it was only Beastboy.

"Oh, friend Beastboy!" Her tensed muscles relaxed, Beastboy noticed. "You startled me!"

"Relax, Star," he said, holding up his hands as if he was caught kissing the butt of a cat. "It's just me."

"I see your lag of jets has left you. I am most delighted for you." Starfire posted a fake smile on her face. She enormously hoped that it wasn't too obvious. Alas, she failed.

"Hey, Star," he sat down beside her. "You don't have to keep secrets from me. I'm one of your friends." Starfire's expression changed, and was transformed to show her original feelings. "What's he done to you this time?"

"Oh, Beastboy," she buried her face to her hands. She was too busy to realize how Beastboy had known about Robin's and her misunderstanding. "I don't know what to do with him. I am most confused with my very own feelings too, now that he has told me his own. I just thought that everything's going to be fine now, after his confession on Tokyo. I'm so the idiot! Why have I not seen his true affections then?" She started crying all over again. "Why is this happening to me? To…me and him?" She avoided the use of the word 'us', since there's no 'us' between them. They're not an item now. He broke up with her. He broke up with her, on unknown reasons.

"Starfire," he started firmly. "You are anything, and an idiot isn't one of those." He patted her shoulder. "We'll get you through this. All of us will. I mean, it's what friends do, right? No matter what happens, the Titans can bring down every evil bugging you-I mean, we do that to each other when one needs it-and that strictly includes Robin, old-school."

Starfire was very thankful to have friends like him. "I thank X'hal for providing me friends like you. Your supportiveness means much to me, Beastboy, I appreciate it very much."

"Aw, Star, ya don't have to thank me." He stood up, preparing to leave. "Anyhow, I actually came up here to, you know, check on you. You have not eaten anything yet. Ya hungry?"

"Um, no thank you, Beastboy, I am not very hungry. I would very much prefer to stay here and do the spacing out. I will eat when I'm hungry, I am a grown up now, don't put your worries to me, thank you very much."

"Roger-dodger that, Starfire!"

As he reached for the knob to head downstairs, Starfire called him.

"Friend Beastboy?"

"Yeah?"

"I…would you do me a favor?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Please tell our other teammates that I will have to fly around the city. I just need to enlighten myself from…from our homecoming." She stood up, expecting Beastboy to approve with what she's saying.

"Sure thing…but, are you positive you don't want to have any company? I'm available…that is, after I finish eatin' my tofu salad Cyborg miraculously did for me. It took me a hundred years to bug him. But you could join if you want! I mean, you've been stayin' out here on the cold for five hours – I'm freezing." He cuddled himself.

"Beastboy, I…" she sighed, thinking that she doesn't need to tell him about not having to be protected. "Thank you for the generous offer, but, as I have said, I'm not hungry, and I would rather go out alone, all by myself."

"Oooo-kay, but be careful, alright? Oh, and one more thing. Don't come home late, or Robin'll-"

"And would you keep my Titan communicator?" She cut him short on the mention of Robin's name. A small yellow circle with a touch of black was held on her uniquely tanned hands towards Beastboy. "I would wish to have no disturbance while I'm working with my mind and for my location not to be known…and that's because… I am afraid that he'll…"

Beastboy noticed that Starfire had a hard time choosing for words, and she was. But he could understand her though; Robin might stalk her or something, if he knew that she's gone out alone. Especially after their kiss on Tokyo. No. He should NOT allow her to wander around without her communicator. Robin would _definitely _not approve of it.

_No, I should not. I'm her friend, so I should protect her, not just let her leave for the unsafe world. No, tell her to take her communicator with her, so at least I have done something to make her glad. Right. But she would be angry; she might not talk to me just like Rob. So, invite her to eat with me? No, she already said she doesn't wanna. Be strict with her? Besides, it's for her own good; she might even thank me for that. Robin would like it that way. So. I won't let her. Right. Tell her to just go inside, or call Raven if she wouldn't budge. Yup, just the most perfect plan. Robin would _totally_ kill me if I would. Go on, what are you waiting for? Look at her pleading face, she's waiting. Oh, she's as cute as a kitty that way-_

"Absolutely, Star." He took her communicator from her hands as Starfire offered him. Realizing what he's doing, he's almost ready to smack his forehead so hard that he would never _ever_ wake up again in the history of time. Almost. But he let her, because he just wants to make people happy - especially in his friends. And not because he saw her adorable face.

"Thank you, Beastboy!" She imprisoned him in a hug, and squeezed him so hard that he's lost capability to breathe.

"Star…stop…hugging…I can't…breathe…"

"Oh! I'm truly sorry!" She let him escape, and a smile formed on her face. The first ever one in hours. Beastboy was glad to see that nerve-relaxing smile, and he was the one who made her do it. And it's because he ignored Robin's will._ Stupid, stupid, stupid._

But it was comforting, and he didn't think about Robin for his own benefit. So he beamed back, and said, "I don't want to end our conversation but, I'd better go eat my salad before it gets cold." He pointed on the door behind him.

"Of course you could, Beastboy. I would go now. Enjoy your hearty meal!"

_Ooooh…_ Beastboy thought. _She agreed that tofu's healthy. Way to go, Star, keep bein' on my side._

"Ciao! Oh, and be home early!"

Unfortunately, Starfire flew very quickly that she didn't hear Beastboy's last sentence… And also because she was busy thinking what 'ciao' means - if she ever even heard of it. _The language of Earthlings…_

* * *

The door of the common room automatically opened in front of him. The two other Titans looked up, and seeing he's alone, Raven said, "You haven't got her down?" She was holding a book-as usual-and she was rereading one of Stephen King's novels. "She's been up there for, like, five hours." She stood up. "Let me try to-"

"No, I've taken care of it already. She's cool, she even smiled at me - and I bet that's the only one she made for hours - but she wouldn't budge. Only, she asked me a small favor, she wants to go outside and wander around Jump. And, oh, Raven. "

She looked up at him.

"Are you worried?" Beastboy's face was filled with fake affection. "I think you're worried."

"I'm not."

"Yeah you are. Then why are you looking at the clock just lately? I saw your eyes sparkle with fear when you saw its 7pm."

"Looking at the clock is not a sign of anxie – wait. It is a sign of anxiety. Most of the time. And correction: you must use the word 'were', not 'are', you little munchkin."

"Munchkin?" Cyborg asked her after he placed the plate of sandwiches on the kitchen table. "What's a-?"

"It's a creature created fictionally on the story titled-"

Beastboy and Cyborg were grinning. How they enjoyed teasing Raven this way. _Oh, look at that li'l blush form on her cheeks._ The two were thinking the same thing. Raven sensed it. It was disgusting. It was just then that she realizes what she's been dribbling about. _Wizard of Oz?_ She thought. _I'm actually letting my friends know I'm reading 'Wizard of Oz'? Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"The story titled what?" Cyborg went forward to the now-standing Raven.

"Oh, I know!" Beastboy mocked. "It's somewhat similar to 'Hello, I'm A Grown-Up Now but Am Still Reading Books of Baby Types', right Raven?"

Raven stared at them. _Get the lead out_,_ stupid mind .Yeah, I know, I should be staying away in ill-company. That's right. Me and my big mouth. Why wouldn't you think of something clever when I need it? I'm practically passing out right now. Quick, think, think, think. Come on; make yourself embarrassed for a year if you don't think for something witty. Go and act a la Jimmy Neutron - hey, where did that name come from?_

She looked up the two smirking buddies. She smiled in thought because she felt that it was hurting them already. But for a second, she wondered, _Is 'Wizard of Oz' that baby-like? I knew that every kind of literature is made of art._ And she really appreciated art.

"Go on, Raven. We're waiting." Cyborg and Beastboy held their hands toward Raven, whose face was getting a bit shade of bright pink.

_Now here's something for you to be humiliated for the rest of the week._

"Why are you asking me the meaning of the word 'munchkin'?" The duo didn't get what she's saying. _The minds of low-types…_

"Should you be teasing me if _you _know the description - and source - of that word? Munchkins."

The changeling slapped Cyborg's mechanical chest. He was laughing hysterically. "She got you in there!"

As Raven excited the mad common room filled with the cackling of a green human, the last words she heard was from Cyborg's. "Shut up, grass stain! I'll never ever cook you a tofu pancake ever again!"

And that miraculously got him.

* * *

Starfire flew around the city, and if usually she enjoys the sight of the colorful city lights, now she doesn't. She is taking pity on herself. And the question Robin didn't answer ('What is this reason on why you hate me?') was still bothering her. What was there to keep from her?

It seemed like the gigantic cumulo-nimbus was following her. It was dark, and she hasn't seen one small star. It was just around seven-thirty, and the town was still in its good spirits. One strong and cold breeze blew from the west and Starfire felt the inability to fly. After all the struggling she made to keep up, the alien fell on her back. She hit the hard ground of the grassed park.

She was on the Jump City Public Park.

Starfire found a swing nearby and positioned herself for comfort. She pushed it slowly back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. After a minute or so, her mind relaxed after the surrounding city quieted for a little bit. Time was flying a bit of a snail's pace for her. Gradually, an hour passed. Another hour had gone by. She was still swaying, thinking about nothing subconsciously. Nothing. Not the hero thing, not about Robin, or the Titans or herself - just, nothing.

Only one question floats around her head.

Why was she destined to be here on Earth on the first place?

The city was now almost empty of civilians. Boy, she thought she never remembered what the definition of the word 'quiet' is. Raven was right – peace and tranquility is good to control your emotions and it helps you think of a more positive solution to your-

Wait. What was that? Starfire thought she heard something.

"Is…is someone there?"

Quiet. Stillness. They were the only things that answered her back.

"H-hello?"

Still nothing. The wind blew, causing the leaves on the ground to rustle. She was certain that she heard something…..

She figured it was only the wind, but, the silence that surrounded her – it was almost terrifying. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make her return home immediately.

Time-unconscious, she continued to sway and refresh her mind from the whole day's excursions. After a couple of minutes, she heard it again. She was absolute that it was not the leaves or her mind playing illusions on her. Footsteps. She heard footsteps. And not just any squirrel, it was human footsteps. Loud and clear.

Alerted, she stood from her swing with trembling knees. Oh no. I do hope I will not put myself into trouble, Robin will be furious.

"Who's there?" She used a voice similar to Robin's firm and commanding ones, since she wants to threaten the enemy. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

The sounds of the antagonist's approach became louder and crystal-clear. He stepped into the light, and she saw him clearly. She has no doubt; he is the Titans' greatest enemy. No one has ever been able to defeat him, let alone match his accuracy, speed, and strategic skills. He's-

Slade.

Her voice weakening, she said, "Wh-what are you doing here? I have thought…"

Starfire thought she saw a menacing smile behind that orange and black mask. "It's been a long time." He said with a voice of something Starfire couldn't describe. "Don't I even get to say hello?"

"I will not say to you greetings of welcome. I do not do that to evil ones like you!" She shot a starbolt at his chest. Is it late in the night now? Robin will surely scold me.

Slade easily regained his composure, although being thrown to a building wall hurts pretty much. He clenched his fists determinedly and ran to Starfire. She obviously hasn't seen that coming, thus she was hit on her right upper arm. It didn't leave a bruise but it stung. She was now holding the injured arm trying to soothe it, but nothing worked.

What is his reason for attacking me? I haven't done anything wrong, have I? Usually his only gain is if he will get to Robin, but why me? What does he want with me?

Starfire shot him a volley of starbolts after flying high up in the air. He got an A on defending himself. He clearly had planned this all along, and knew her fighting strategy.

Slade hid on the bushes around the park, confusing Starfire. When she didn't see the enemy anymore, she placed her feet on the ground.

"Show yourself, coward," she grumbled.

A shadow from behind her spoke and said, "What coward are you referring to? I'm not afraid to fight you."

"Don't be alarmed." Lightning-quick, she dashed to him with a shout. She punched him on the abdomen, Slade releasing a small cry of pain. In return, he held Starfire's hair and pushed it downward, just as he did to Robin when he was still his apprentice.

"Let…me...go…you-"

"Starfire, I have expected much from you, considering that Tamaranian abilities are much higher to a human's."

"What?" _How did he know about that? He knows nothing about me._

"Let's make this fair, shall we?"

"How will you make it fair if you're currently grabbing a hold of my hair? Let go of me, you twisted _glermpork_."

_Glermpork? What the hell did that mean?_

He freed her, and Starfire immediately got into her fighting stance, knuckles turning a bit pale surrounded by an orb of poisonous green energy.

"What do you want from me?"

"It's not that I want from you. It's that I want with you." He replied like it was the most evident thing in the world. "Let's have a duel."

"Agreed. If I win, you'll have to make yourself disappear on the face of the Earth, and if you can't, I will make it happen myself." Her starbolts grew brighter.

Slade chuckled, like he was trying to tell her that she has no chance of ever defeating him. Starfire? She didn't like it. He was sickening.

"If I win," he started, voice satisfied. His plan was going to be too easy as he expected. "You'll do me a favor, whether you like it or not."

_You're not ever going to be the boss of me…_

"Once you don't survive thirty seconds in battle with me, you'll do what I have to say to you."

That pissed her off.

"Stop looking down at me."

"Why?" Another smile behind that mask. "Is it because that reminds you of Robin? Does he look down on you too?"

Like a furious fighter, she shot a starbolt at him. Then another. And another. But then again, Slade avoided it with ease. He knows my weakness….

When she stopped to gulp big amounts of air, heavy raindrops started to fall.

"What now, Starfire? At your limit already? Are you used to being protected by your leader?"

That infuriated her again. What is he doing?

Finding out that she couldn't use her starbolts anymore, she showered Slade with her compact blows. Slade backed out a bit to avoid it, but Starfire punched him on the face. She slightly broke his mask, in evidence of the crack running down from the eye up to the middle of his disguise. He covered it with his left hand.

After stroking it for a while, he said, "Now that's the spirit I've been waiting for."

Twenty seconds have passed. I should defeat him in this duel. Ten more seconds left…

"Don't smile conceitedly. The battle's not over yet." He said knowingly.

_Nine seconds._

He rushed towards Starfire with a staff on his hand. Starfire had not got a time to react, he was a swift person.

_Eight seconds._

Slade hit her left upper arm, and it was more excruciating than the first one. _It is going to leave a mark, I'm certain._

_Seven seconds._

She replied his hit with a kick, not bothering to feel sympathy for herself.

_Six seconds._

Slade didn't feel anything despite her reflex, for what she had hit was his armor.

_Five seconds._

He used Starfire's kick as an advantage, grabbing the foot that she used.

_Four seconds. I could not possibly survive this…_

He threw her to the ground.

_Three seconds._

Starfire was unable to control her composure because of the stinging pain on her back. He sure knows how to slaughter a Tamaranian.

_Two seconds._

He kneeled beside Starfire and held her neck, and she let out a small inaudible whimper.

_One second._

He grasped her up and said, "Time's up."

Starfire had her eyes closed, but Slade knows she can hear him.

He whispered right on her ear, murmuring: "Tell Robin that I have come back. That I have returned. Or you'll receive the rightful consequences."

He let her fall to the ground, and sprinted away.

* * *

**Notes from the Authoress:**

**Note #1: I'm gonna update only during Saturdays or Sundays. That's very important. **

**Note #2: I'm a very frustrated writer, I know. You don't need to rub it in my face. **

**Note #3: I'm not very good at making jokes. So if you didn't get my joke about the word 'Munchkins' just lately, don't bother to understand. You'll only have a headache. **

**Note #4: I don't know ALL Teen Titan facts. So if I get somethin' wrong, please tell. Don't be selfish. **

**Note #5: THIS IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT—I didn't know this feeling of happiness that pierced through my cold and unfeeling body when I have read your reviews! I was so overwhelmed…OHMYGOSH, thank you all so much!**

**Always yours, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL **


	2. Unforgiving, Unforgotten

**Author's Note: Hi guys! Look, I'm updating on a Friday! Glorious! Actually, I know I'm updating only one day too early, but isn't that glorious? Okay. I'm changing that Saturdays-and-Sundays-must-only-be-the-days-of-a-glorious-update rule. I'm updating whenever I have the time. And, please don't be angry with me for my next words: I actually am working on the fourth chapter right now. **

**Don't bite me!**

**I mean, y'all are not in a hurry to know what happens next, right? Prolly not. (To those who don't know what that means, 'Prolly' means 'Probably'.)**

_**Let's get started. **_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. There. Ya happy now?**

**Dedication: I choose…every person in the world whose initials are C-K-U! (It doesn't include the middle initial.)**

* * *

Chapter Two

Unforgiving, Unforgotten

* * *

Robin sighed. He's half-glad the confession is over. Half-glad he made things clear with Starfire. Half-glad no one knew about their argument.

In his knowledge, anyway.

He slouched on his luxuriously soft bed, yet dusty from disuse. He was tired from their homecoming. The sadness, anger and confusions, drowsiness and exhaustions, declaration of guilt, acts of utter stupidity, and enervating excursions, all in one day. He hoped there's nothing worse that could happen.

It was half an hour ago when he did the heartbreaking undertaking, and he was sorry he made Starfire cry. He partly believes that his judgments are of fault, not him. He was angry at himself for having the capability to of being stupid enough to do something stupid, deciding such things without looking at the rightful consequences that may happen, and that _did_ happen. He was sad that Starfire may not want to talk to him anymore, and more unhappy of the thought that she might want to fling him into the ocean and make sure that he'll never come back to the surface, let alone talk to him in a peaceful-kind-of way.

_Well, it's for her own good. This will be over soon. I hope. _

Even if he knows that he can't expect Starfire's trust to come forth eventually in such a degree of time, he sure hopes that he hadn't done the wrong thing—which pretty much is the ironic part of his opinion. Look at it this way: he just made bullied her. Well, sort of. But he was, after all, saving her from all the mistreatments that are supposed to be targeted directly at him. Yes, he knows that Starfire is capable of handling herself, she is also a superhero, just like any other being under the roof of the Titans Tower and that he should trust her dexterities, just like the confidence that he has on every other existing Titan. But based on the kind of species she's in, her sensitivities to certain stimuli may affect her skillfulness as a Tamaranian, which furthermore upturns Robin's assumptions. Yet again, every single individual, living or dead, young or old, man or woman, human or not, hero or civilian, has his or her own weaknesses, whether acknowledged or unknown, if perceived in deep comprehension. But Robin wouldn't be turned on sitting on these facts circling his mind.

He couldn't help thinking that…he couldn't quite admit that this small argument existing in his cognizance is merely an apparent proof of his different-kind-of-love-than-the-other-Titans-on-Starfire thing. Robin sighed again, rather a little bit more too audibly.

Love. Such a very touchy topic in a tacky sort-of way. He insentiently looked at the ceiling with wistful eyes, absent-mindedly thinking about some things vastly unworthy of awareness. He wished he just had worked alone and segregated himself physically and mentally from others as much as possible in the first place when he had the chance. He wished he just listened to Bruce, the very person who had worked too awfully hard to train him to be able to foster the act of not having any acquaintances to anyone, and that highly includes romantic relationships, which are exceedingly considered as the most vulnerable of all kinds of liabilities. Well, that wouldn't have made him the passionate person that he is now. But the young Dick Grayson had always told himself that he is already taught by the unforeseen accident that happened to his parents, vowing to never own anything that could hurt his state of mind so terribly to lose. Maybe he could afford being an emotionless city protector; regardless he had no love for the town itself, which could pretty much affect his reason of being a hero. Ugh.

If only he knew that being on a team would result to this ultimate mind-crash, maybe he just hadn't had a second-thought. If only there is some kind of amnesia device that can delete all unwanted memories, he had not bought it immediately at all costs. If only he had the ability to travel back in time to warn the old-Robin the consequences that would result of loving her, all actions are instantly done.

_No. Rephrase all those stupid what-ifs. He should've listened to Bruce, _period_._

* * *

_Two hours later…_

It was raining hard.

He looked at his digital clock beside his bed. All the Titans have gone to their own rooms a couple of hours ago. He has been told that Starfire had gone to wander around Jump, and that was since it was 7 pm. But according to the blinking red numbers on his chronometer, it's already 2 am. _She is taking this case to far. _

He's been worrying about her since their argument. Robin thought that she may do something crazy once she falls apart. Starfire wants honesty, right? What he told her lately was truthful. Well, at least, kind of. He wants to protect her, that's his goal in accomplishing his talk with her. His teammates told him that she have not eaten anything yet. Man, it must be hard for someone who has 9 stomachs to survive that long without consuming something. And, worse, they told him it was Beast Boy who let her see the city for a while.

It was 10 pm, and he had entered the common room. All his other teammates-except Raven-looked had at him with frazzled faces and remained quiet while he was around. He noticed Starfire's absence once he arrived in the room, but he'd figured it was not the right time to mention her name yet.

The stillness was unbearable, so he spoke after waiting for someone to tell him what happened after seconds and minutes. So he asked, "Hey, where's Starfire?"

Cyborg poked Beast Boy. "Go on, tell him."

"Tell me what?" He had demanded, voice alarmed.

"Um, Starfire said she wants to breathe some air outside."

"She's still on the roof by this time? It's been 8 hours."

"Well, not exactly outside on outside." BB felt uncomfortable. "I let her, you know. Go around the city. I mean, it's not me who offered her, she's the one who-"

"On my knowledge, she hasn't eaten anything yet. That true?"

"Unfortunately." Raven said. "Kind of a hardheaded-girl, huh?"

"What time did she go?"

It's Cyborg who answered him. "Around six-thirty to seven."

"Shouldn't she be home by now?" Robin asked.

"I told her to come home early, but seems like she didn't hear me." Beast Boy said. "Or she didn't listen."

Robin thought that it might not be right to call her by now, but he was worried sick. "I'll call her." He reached for his belt, and got his communicator.

"Well, now," Beast Boy said, "that won't work-"

"Why not?" Raven asked. "She sure does carry her communicator around her."

"I- uh,"

Robin snapped his communicator open. He located Starfire's name, and then contacted her, and-

He heard ringing of a communicator, inside the common room, on the kitchen table.

"What in the world?" Robin muttered.

"That's Starfire's, isn't?" Raven used her dark magic to bring it to herself. She was right, for it is hers.

"Beast Boy!" All his present teammates shouted at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He was taken aback. He hid behind the couch they were all sitting on. "She–I just–It's not my fault!"

"Why did you let her?" Robin insisted. He hated to think of Starfire being put to danger because of him–again.

Raven sighed. "He's got a point, Robin. It's not his fault. Not any of us is."

"Yeah, but she's still out there and she-"

"Robin, Robin, Robin. Stop worryin' alright?" Cyborg frowned. "I know, she may be slightly vulnerable but she could take care of herself."

Robin stood now, indicating he's quite pissed off with his colleagues. He pointed at Beast Boy menacingly, and growled, "But he-"

"Dude!" He hid again behind Raven's cloak when he saw Robin in his line of vision. "Don't bite my head off! I just want to do something that would make her happy, and says she doesn't want you to know her whereabouts because, well…"

His associates knew very well what was going to be next, but when no one supported him, the blushing Robin completed his idea with a "I would not!"

His other teammates were dazed upon Robin's sudden outburst, and when he noticed, he lowered his voice to a calm, "Why would she think I would…stalk her? Never will I do it."

"Hmmmm…But then again, maybe not." Raven muttered.

"Well… well maybe," he stammered, "But do you think I will after our… my termination of our… whatever, it's none of your business."

"No, you've got your point." Cyborg rubbed his chin.

Realization sinking in, Robin suddenly turned red as the uniform he has on.

"You know about that?" He was infuriated.

"Uh." Raven nervously snapped her book close and looked at her feet.

"Um." That was all Beast Boy could stammer.

"Er…" Cyborg rubbed his neck uncomfortably.

The symptoms were enough for Robin to know what's up. "But…but…but…"

"Nothing to be nervous, dude!" Beast Boy hastily put it. "That's all we know!"

"All?" Robin was burning with rage. "What do you know?" he demanded.

"Um. Your vicious unseen argument?" Raven put up.

"But how did you-"

"You're the one who commanded Cyborg to put those security cameras by the roof, or was I just dreaming then? You even shouted at him for not doing it immediately." She rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole wide world. "Duh."

"And how-?"

"Dude, you really don't remember? You sure you aren't sick or somethin'? You told Cy to check the cameras right after we land, while you're at the shower relaxin' your jumpy nerves, which was totally unfair. I said then that the bathroom was reserved exclusively for me, my very exact words."

Cyborg looked at the wall clock and declared, "Well, looks like its bed time now. Don't put your head so much in this case, Rob," he reminded him again, "she could take care of herself. I'm first to the -"

Cyborg stopped short when Robin spoke, "I'm gonna take a shower."

"No one could ever defeat him with your 'who's-got-to-be-the-first-one-in-the-shower game'." Monotone, Raven left the room.

* * *

Suddenly brought back to consciousness, Robin found himself sitting on his computer chair with a pencil in his hand. His blank eyes staring into empty space turned to his bedroom door. He thought he heard signs of life in the ops room. 2: 45. Finally. It's just a matter of time Starfire got home.

He stood up and went straight outwards his room. But before he did, he picked up his communicator just in case in an abrupt motion, ready as he can ever be to meet and greet the naïve little alien an innocent "Hello", not to mention give her one of his why-didn't-you-come-home-early lectures. As such, he mindlessly left a scribbled piece of paper on his desk beside the pencil he was previously toying with sub-consciously.

Robin left, closing his door with a gentle sway. When the door slowly swung to security, his dwelling was void of light. Dim moonlight was reflected by his windows, and the place was eclipsed by the swaying curtains. The room was still and lifeless, almost frightening, the quietness deafening to the ears.

Coming from an unknown source, crisp wind filled the room, circling one center. Soft frost crept in, and the almost cold barren wasteland is suddenly pierced by an illumination of bluish-white light surrounding something. The indistinct quarters of isolation, though brimming with hidden alarm systems, didn't feel the presence. This presence materialized in front of Robin's desk with balled fists and gritted teeth in unconditional fury.

Not something. _Someone_.

She stared at the written piece of paper. Her antagonism may be described to an aged star experiencing a supernova, then becomes a black hole which releases unbelievable amounts of x-rays which could bring colossal damage and has a great gravitational pull that will eat up anything that comes on her path of wrath, in which not even light can escape.

The reason of her infuriation?

Jealousy.

She saw Starfire's name written repeatedly on the white sheet of paper, presumably by Robin. Metaphorically, the mischievous spirit started writing Starfire's name on the rock on which she is about to destroy.

* * *

Starfire had walked all the way home under the heavy raindrops that seemed to stab her like scalpels on each fall. She is having trouble to halter her emotions, therefore having the inability to fly. Nonetheless, what joy is contained in the heart of someone who has just been wounded in it deeply and the constant bleeding is flooding her inner self? In addition to that, walking towards the Tower is not an easy thing to do, what with the rain, the distance, and the painful limb where Slade had just kicked her she was carrying. Tiring as it was, Starfire tried hard to walk on a normal pace in a normal posture.

She wearily opened the fridge, wheezing for air. Stairs. It's hard to be an ordinary human to walk on the stairs. She realized just how hungry and tired she was. She turned the lights on after that, half-assured that the Titans were all asleep. She didn't want anyone to question her late arrival just yet.

Flopping on the sofa, she closed her eyes after gulping down the contents of the recently-refilled-bottle-of-mustard in one swig. As she slept, she dropped the can. Two hours seemed only like moments later when…

"Starfire?"

The red-haired alien is suddenly shot to awareness at the sound of Robin's voice. She sat up straight, trying to tell the visitor that he isn't welcome. She was angry and nervous at the same time. She's not in the mood to be lashed by Robin's lectures yet…but to somehow hide her nervousness, she tried to pack her voice with anger.

"X'hal. Robin."

Noticing her anger, he completely forgot his purpose of coming here. Instead, he heard his big mouth say, "Look Starfire? I know you're mad at me but…couldn't you understand it? I'm not ready yet. I already told you, serious relationships are not really my thi-"

"Do not give me that," Starfire scolded, "I understand every word you've told me. You don't like to be seen in serious relationships, I perceive that in the way you do." Starfire dared not to look at him. "But my point is, why did you have to make my hopes arise? Why did you do the lip-contact with me in the first place? If you really don't love me, does it make you happy to see me live happily in your lies even if the moment will only last for a few hours?" She inhaled a big amount of air. "What is your purpose of breaking my heart?"

Her voice cracked at the mention of heart, so she cleared her throat and remained stiff of her position.

"Don't give me that either." Robin is pissed off on the fact that Starfire misinterpreted his actions. "But since you already have, I'll be frank. I…I just don't want to hurt you, Star."

The words came out so quickly from his mouth that he wanted to smack his forehead for not thinking it through.

Tears were threatening Starfire's eyes to well with them.

"So you don't have trust in me at all?" Starfire stood up, but pain shot through her leg. She tried not to wince, but Robin reacted with a raised eyebrow.

"But why?" She continued, "Why do you not trust me the way you do with others?" Her heart was pierced even more when she remembered Slade saying, _"Does Robin look down on you too?" _

"What do you find in me that is flawed?"

She felt as though she was knifed on the chest as she recalled the scene where the Tamaranian teachers praised Blackfire while they considered her defective. "Need I to remind you, Robin, that I do not need your worries being put on me, for the reason that I could take care of myself."

Tears started falling down.

She whirled around as she faced him, looking at him directly in the eye. "I do not…" She intensified her voice to emphasize her every word, turning it to a deep, intimidating tone. "…like…to be…looked…upon…"

Because now she faced him, he saw what he's done to her. He made her cry. Again. Self-conscious, Robin ran to her and held her right upper arm. He noticed Starfire flinch—did he notice, in pain?—but that wasn't the point in this moment. He tried to make Starfire understand his next words, but she looked away from him, tears still flowing down.

Her blood ran cold.

"Robin…please…let go of me."

_What, exactly, is he trying to tell me? I don't understand._

Robin wouldn't give her a chance.

"Listen to me, Star." Robin moved Starfire's chin with his fingers so that she was looking directly at him. "I didn't say I looked down on you. Starfire, I just don't want to see you get hurt. You don't know how much it pains me."

"Answer this truthfully and straightforwardly." Starfire said in a commanding tone. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Starfire, I didn't…I didn't want all of this to happen…"

She's right. Look at what he'd done. Trusting his evil hunches against Starfire and his love life (and Bruce Wayne, unfortunately) – did it result to anything good? No, it didn't. He thought that she would understand why he is doing that to her, but clearly she didn't. And now the only thing that he wants to own right this very moment is the trust of Starfire. But same thing – as usual, he screwed everything up. But he wanted it back. He wants her back, and the only thing to do is admit everything, and wait. There's no other option, but that one. Without her, life's a trash. It will mean nothing. So he made a mental note: _Believe in your guts–or lack thereof–so as to not put a monkey wrench in the works. _

Starfire's eyes shot up, very sharp-looking.

"You did not answer my question. Then if you didn't want this to happen, what _did _you want to transpire?"

"I want to…" He grabbed Starfire's wrist and pulled her against him. "Do this."

It all happened fast. Lightning-speed. But for Starfire, it was moving like in a slow-motion. Everything around her seemed to sway and everything to turn into black. Where was Robin? Oh, yes. He was in front of her. Eyes were closed, and his lips were moving towards her. She was asking herself if she would want to do this. But no. She didn't. Even if that moment was something that had made her heart to burst. It had made her happy, made her day – life – complete. It made Starfire's face to glow with happiness. She felt glee, love, intimacy, peace, spiritual enlightenment. She loved the feeling of the warmth of Robin's hand. But now, something was not right. She didn't feel any of those. Coldness. Anger. Shock. Those were the only things present. She didn't feel anything. And she didn't like it. She almost thought that the whole thing was disgusting. Almost.

Robin thought that Starfire was being unresponsive. She stood there, rigid of her current position, eyes wide open. But Robin wouldn't give it up. He put his hand at the back of her head through those smooth strands of thick even hair. He pushed her gently, as if asking for a response. Yet Starfire?

Had it not for Robin's acts of injuring her feelings, and as Raven would say, acts of 'utter stupidity', and then she would've accepted with open arms the warmth of his love. But she didn't.

_Oh no. What is happening? I am confused. What is he-_

Even Starfire couldn't believe it. Her right hand zoomed in so quickly, she didn't even see it.

She slapped him on the face. Robin tumbled backwards, unquestionably not expecting for her to do this.

"What are you…?" He stammered.

"Robin, I forgive you already… but I demand you do not do that again." Her eyes, again, welled with tears. "Please, let us forget that this night never even existed. Act like none of this ever happened."

Then she flew away towards her room, lightning-quick, eager to avoid Robin's voice that said, "Starfire, wait!"

Simply because she didn't like it.

* * *

She sat on her comfy pink bed. She was clearly distressed of what just happened. She didn't know what she had done.

_Did I really hurt Robin physically? Would and could I really do that? I could not believe it. But I think he deserves it – he should understand. My feelings are in disarray. But I do think that I did that to distract Robin from his asking on what I did while I was gone – somehow. Nonetheless, that is wrong. Unrightful, incorrect, improper, intolerable, undesirable... I wish I could change everything. I think it is just better to – no, that is not right. Raven would think that leaving the Titans would be an infantile decision. Maybe we could disentangle these things. Although I have a little faith that it would, it is still there._

Starfire got a piece of paper, and also a pen from her bedside. In Tamaranian language, she wrote:

_Dearest piece of yellow paper,_

My mother have always told me that in order to help solve a very difficult situation, you should release all your negative feelings somehow. But if you think that there's no one else to trust when you are in deep need, each one of us are free to write about their feelings through writing something. She always says that it could help you to find a solution perfect for the difficulties given to you by X'hal. Although that belief had been extinct for centuries ago, I still trust that my mother's creed is an effective one.

So we have defeated Japan's greatest enemy, and for one time we thought that he was Brushogun. Robin had given every ounce of his intelligence and strength just to be victorious on finding the real truth. And because of his incredible confidence (for the least, I think that it was incredible, unlike Cyborg and Raven and Beast Boy who thought that it was just Robin's sometimes-negative-and-sometimes-positive attitude) he had succeeded as he had predicted correctly, as always. And through all of those determinations that he had showed, he finally proved to me how much he had always loved me, in evidence of the kissing attempts that he (or more appropriately, we) had done. As we had caused Commander Dai-so's fall, we had finally had our very first intimate moment that I never thought would happen ever in our lives, or if not, in a long time. But it happened! After we were awarded medals of Honor by Tokyo's city Mayor, we had explored the borders of Tokyo, and the time was very beautiful! Until…

Robin had not spoken to me since the time we entered the T-ship.

Yes! I know it very well! He has no known reason on why he did this to me! I don't know exactly why, but all that had crossed my mind are possible ideas, and the worse one that I have thought is that Robin might have changed his mind about me.

Maybe after we had the lip-contact, perhaps he realized that I was not the perfect girl he had expected me to be. Because all I know is, that is how love works, that only you will know once you shared a kiss with a person whom you loved very dearly. But on my point of view, if Robin says he is confused the way he is, he should have not done 'it' for the very first time. I know that it will break my heart truly, but is it not better to be honest from the start than to wait for the inappropriate time. I hate him so! And the things he has done tonight, I do not… like it. I don't like it in anyway.

But part of me says that I should have not pushed him away when he tried to do kiss me.

And the reason that I have not told him about Slade is quite…complicated. Slade have killed him, almost killed him. I just couldn't bear to see any of my friends to get hurt. And that includes Robin; of course, even he has done that thing to me. But, never mind. I will forget that and make sure that tomorrow will be a glorious day again as usual. But, I suppose if Slade does return to strike back, well, I don't care. For the least, I think so. I just don't want people to think that I am always dependable of my leader. I will show them – well, I do hope so.

Oh, X'hal_. What am I going to do?_

* * *

**Notes from the Authoress:**

**I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. I hate how Robin reacted. **

**Answer this honestly and ****mercilessly****: ****Is my fiction confusing?**** Because now that I'm working on the fourth chapter…you know, I'm quite confused with my own fiction myself. **

**Always, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL**


	3. Revelation of the Vague Accusation

**Author's Note: Hello guys? How are you? I'm fine by here. AHHH, why can't I just act NORMALY when I get so excited? AHHHH! Yeah, that's right. I'm currently working on the fifth chapter, (I know I shouldn't brag about this, but it's a free country, guys) and I am so excited! Okay. Here you go. **

**Dedication: I choose…Miss aylathetitan, for ever being so friendly and making my FFN experience ever so meaningful, and more importantly, fun. Because of you, I am happily looking forward every time we have an internet connection because I get to log on to FFN. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

* * *

Chapter Three

Revelation of the Vague Accusation

* * *

"Um." Beast Boy scratched his neck while taking in the unusual environment. "What in the world happened?"

The rain had stopped pouring down. Cyborg was in the kitchen, cooking the breakfast meals of the Titans. Raven was reading, too focused on her book to notice the arrival of Beast Boy. Unusually, the other two Titans looked as tetchy as two children fighting over a toy train.

"Hello?" Beast Boy persisted. "Anyone care to answer me?"

Starfire had her arms crossed over her chest while beside her was Robin with his laptop, his head over his hand. The two of them were tacit, and their faces were of the Mind-Your-Own-Business type.

"Okay, everyone!" Cyborg tried to lighten the mood. "Breakfast in about five minutes!"

No one noticed him, though. Crestfallen, he huddled with the two other Titans out of earshot, who listened to him politely.

"They won't listen to anything I say." Cyborg whispered as low as he could.

Raven shook her head. "Why don't you just leave them be? That's what they want, anyway."

"Would anyone mind if you tell me—"

"I tried everything!" Cyborg stretched his arms. "Strolls around Jump, pizza for the morning, or take Silkie for a walk, they won't budge."

"I told you, it's their own mess. They don't want us to interfere. They can fix it."

"Um. Raven? Would you, maybe, uh…"

"What?"

"Never mind."

Raven raised an eyebrow, but closed the subject immediately. "Look, Cyborg, if you just act normally, maybe they won't notice we're psychopaths."

The half-man turned around, and saw Robin and Starfire curiously eyeing them. But they didn't say anything.

"Everything's okay here!" Beast Boy assured them when none of his two other teammates were taking an act, even if he doesn't know what is actually happening. Sweat dropping, he continued, "We are just, uh, planning to go to…uh, the mall! Yeah, the mall! Say, after breakfast?"

Cyborg and Raven gave him the best death stares they could muster. Beast Boy's sharp ears slumped. They were assured that the two crabby not-anymore-close-enough friends are becoming more and more unconvinced.

But they surprised them. Starfire finally spoke, though it was slowly and quite hesitant, "Maybe it would be fine if I joined you?" in unison with Robin's decisive one as he closed his laptop in an impetuous way, "Count me in. I'm not really doing anythi-"

When Robin and Starfire realized what is going to happen, the alien closed her mouth with her palm in shock while the Boy Wonder said, "No. I mean, no. I changed my mind."

"Oh, c'mon, folks." Cyborg started pouting, seeing that he is going to be victorious in inducing them to go out for a while. He walked over them behind the couch, and put an arm around a crooked Robin and also on Starfire. "It's gonna be fun! Alright? Alright!" Cyborg excitedly ran over the stove. "I'll serve you your meals, and after that, we could go!"

Robin and Starfire looked at each other. The day wasn't going to be a picnic for them for a while.

Beast Boy, though he thought that he is being good in practicing his 'stealth mode', asked Cyborg in an undertone. "What, exactly, did I just miss?"

The two mad-at-each-other Titans saw him, quite embarrassed of themselves. Both turned as red as a tomato when the tin-man replied with a "That's what happens when you wake up late. Don't you get it? Rob and Star—it's official." He sighed. "They just broke up."

* * *

"It sure is a long time ago when I got the time to relax with the _flora and fauna_." Beast Boy put his hands around his head, closing his eyes in a leisurely way.

"Um. Raven?" Cyborg waved a hand in front of the walking green human. "Is that you? Oh no. You're possessed."

"No, I'm not, Tin Man." The Changeling was clearly annoyed, yet somewhat proud of himself. "Surprised I could use both words in a sentence?"

"I'm…surprised you could…pronounce those at all. I mean, _flora_ and _fauna_?"

"Don't be surprised." Beast Boy grinned. "Everything's been so boring; I don't know what to do with time. Thought I'd raid the library."

"Did you actually go to the _library_?" Raven looked up from her book, quite impressed of her friend's breakthrough. "What'd you do?"

"Well, I read this article from an old newspaper, and then I found the two few and far between words. Well, I got so curious of their meanings, I grabbed a thesaurus from the shelf, and, boy, was it dustier than a farmer's land! Well, I found 'em, and—"

"A thesaurus?" Cyborg all but ripped his head off, unbelieving this unbelievable change in his video game buddy. "A _thesaurus_? Thesaurus and Beast Boy aren't in the same dimension."

Raven giggled at that one. Realizing what she's done, she abruptly cuffed her own mouth. Fortunately, no one heard her.

"Um." To hide her feelings, Raven changed the subject. "The air's…pretty cold. And it's nowhere near winter." She raised her hand as if waiting for a candy to fall from the sky.

"Maybe it's just you." Robin was still cranky, not wanting to be anywhere near Starfire. But he noticed his other teammates drift away from him whenever he came in their little group, as if telling him that he'd better be off with Starfire. Ugh.

"No it isn't." Raven argued. "Haven't anyone noticed it? It was like a hundred degrees outside the day before yesterday, but since we came here, temperature's been plummeting."

"Well, Tokyo's Tokyo, and Jump's Jump." Cyborg assured, calm as you please. "Of course there's a disparity in the temperature. You're just starting to get used to it all over again."

Raven dropped the subject again as she shook her head. Then she pointed to something when she saw this bookstore. "Hey, isn't that new in town?"

"Today's its grand opening." Cyborg read that tarpaulin draped on the small humble building. "It says, 'Grand Opening, nine am, today. Be there or be square!'"

"Almost nine o'clock." Beast Boy said after looking at a clock in a bakery that they had just passed by. "Wanna check it out?" Raven shrugged, and walked towards the indicated destination. "Alright! Cyborg, come look! They also got those cool DVDs!"

"Cool! C'mon, let's!"

And Starfire and Robin were left alone.

"Um. Robin?"

"Yeah?"

_Man. Where was that Voice of Doom when you needed it? Really. After Starfire slapped me on the face last night. It left a mark. _

The whole memory replayed on Robin's mind. He hated it. _And now she's talking to me all nice and innocent? She's making me look like I'm the villain here. _

Oy.

Robin's actually not in the mood to talk to her right now. Partly because he was embarrassed—he has every right to be, anyway—and partly because he doesn't know what to say to her yet. He needs to think the situation through. But to ease down the nerves a little, he decided, that he should say sorry. A very simple and a seemingly inappropriate solution, but if you look at it closely, you're going to have to apologize no matter what when the end comes. So why not do it now, when he has the chance?

* * *

_Preview of Robin's draft for his practiced apology speech_

Starfire, I hope you forgive me for-

I know I was the dork from the very beginning, I just didn't know what to-

Wanna go to the Plaza today? I have something to-

Let me explain what happened you see, (there was this) I was just so worried about you last night, about where you've gone. (Actually, that's what I was going to ask of you last night,)but I just don't know what came over me, (it was like I was possessed by something,) forcing me to say that to you. I didn't want to (be so blunt and to) hurt your feelings, (although, as they always say, the truth is always the safest,) but if you're angry about something, please do tell it. I'm going to make amends, (_anything_,) just to make up for the whole thing, considering that the amend is legal and not against my will moralistic, not too pressing. Just, I want you to forgive me from being the stupid one from the very first place, y'know, I should have thought everything through. Well, maybe we could be friends by now? (Want to pick up a pizza?) (Stroll around the plaza? Just in case you want someone to talk to.) Oh, okay? Well, I'm overwhelmed with joy, so, maybe just excuse me, I'll just have something else to do in my room…Oh, don't you worry, there are just some files in there that needed to be arranged…and, sorry, no, I don't have time to walk leisurely around town, there's no one else who could do it, all the others are busy…so, yeah. Bye!

_Robin doesn't think so._

* * *

"I wish to…apologize for last night's reaction." Starfire looked at the ground.

_Oy, oy, oy. _

"What reaction?" The Boy Wonder tried to play dumb. (**A/N: Stupid Robin…I'm gonna kill ya later...**)

* * *

Starfire's point of view

If he thinks I am 'dumb', well, he should do the thinking again. He is making me look as if I do not know what I am doing. He thinks he is so smart, that he's the only one that could read faces. I could, too. That Clorbag Varblerneilk…I am the one saying an apology, and this is what I get as a response? For your information, dearest Robin, YOU are the one who needs to say an apology. But since you haven't spoken to me since this morning, I believed that I should take the first step. And I do not receive the smallest bit of gratitude from you? Very unlawful indeed. Looking at that…conceited smile on his face is very distasteful; I can tell with it that he just wanted to see me acknowledging my so-called "sin" in front of him that I just did last night, and to see my guileful face. I hate this kind of Robin ever so much.

I just did that slapping of his face because…I was so much surprised.

There were no mirrors around, but I could feel my face reddening. I haven't known that it could turn this shade of horrible red…

"What reaction?" He asked.

I am _not_ going to make him feel satisfied. The princess of the warrior planet Tamaran will not be defeated by an amateur.

"The reaction…as a response to your sudden act of lip-contact."

It was his turn to flush.

_Hah_, I thought, just like a delighted child.

"Consider yourself forgiven."

That had shocked me.

"What?"

"You heard me," Robin was looking away from me. "Consider yourself forgiven."

My plan is not going through as I have thought.

"I know very well that you know that I should be the one to apologize," he turned to look at me, "But I knew that you only wanted to start conversation so you could ask me about why I did that 'lip-contact'." He raised the two fingers of both of his hands to symbolize two quotation marks at the mention the last word.

I was stiff. I stopped walking in my tracks, all too shocked and deeply appalled of what I just have heard. My blood started going to my face.

That's not true. That is _not_ true! I would never do such thing. Why was Robin able to outsmart me this time? I thought that my plan was perfect. But it seems it is not.

Well, maybe it is true. But only partly!

"I know what you want, so you could pretty much talk to me in a normal way," he said, calm as you please. His expression turned serious. "Starfire," both his hands held each of my shoulders, and turned me so I was looking at him. I hesitated. If he's going to do the 'making a move' on me, as Raven would say, I shall cast him to the ocean and make sure he never returns to surface.

"You don't need to apologize. You had every right to hit me. I could understand why you did that, I was just all too shaken. I knew I shouldn't have done anything so sudden."

I looked into those masked eyes that I was sure was looking at mine, too.

"If I did that kiss…if that kiss was something that…if I'd made you cry…" Robin buried his head onto my neck. This is…_outrageous_. Offensive. Contemptible. But I surprised myself by not minding that at all.

"Then," I started softly. "Then what?"

"I am sorry."

_A genuine apology was enough. _

"Oh, Robin."

I am so happy. We are finally going to be together again.

"I just did that because I…because I want you to feel that I still care for you even though I broke up with you."

The place started to freeze.

I wasn't expecting this. Does he mean that we…we are not in a romantic relationship? I thought that he was going to say that he wants me back. Because I really want him back. But it appears that he is not yet ready to do so yet.

Enough is enough. I pushed him away from me all too self-consciously. We need to get back to the reality. As Raven's sarcasm would say, "Two Teen Titans Jump City heroes making out in front of a bakery shop while millions of people are watching."

Well, maybe not 'making out'. The compound word is a little more too strong. We are just saying sorry to each other.

"Robin," If only he knew what I was currently thinking of him. He turned his head up to look at me, "Robin, I—"

"Starfire, look out!"

* * *

"Starfire, look out!"

Raven waved her hands covered with black energy towards Starfire's head, where three sharp and heavy icicles almost stood. Starfire looked above her, and seeing the three pieces of ice ready for murder, she gasped in fright.

The pale-faced half-demon ran outside the bookstore, with two confused and dazed Titans behind her back.

"What was that?" Robin all but choked his lungs out. "Who did—"

"I don't understand. Someone has just attempted to kill me?"

"I'm afraid so." Agitation showed through Raven's face. "But if we—"

Cut short in her speaking, another icicle shot behind Raven, and this time, she was hit on the back. Raven kneeled down in pain. Fortunately, though, Starfire saw the shadow of the spike's origin.

"Raven!" Beast Boy kowtowed beside her. "Are you alright?"

"There she is!" Starfire pointed to a dark, isolated place where the garbage bins are located. "But friend Raven, are you the okay?"

"Don't mind me. I'm fine. Go get 'em."

Robin spoke this time. "But we won't leave until—"

"NOW!"

The four Titans were stunned by Raven's sudden outburst, and they all nodded and followed Starfire on her trails in an endeavor to keep on the convict's tracks. Beast Boy, although how much he wanted to stay with Raven, had no choice but to follow the others.

The civilians around panicked and gave way for the Titans.

"Titans, go!" Robin barked his infamous command, and they roused into action. Beast Boy transformed into a pterosaur, and it carried Cyborg up high above the buildings, behind Starfire who flew steadily with her eyes dark and far away. Robin looked into those eyes, and he felt that something was bothering her. Something…something that he needs to know.

Shifting his focus on the current matter, Robin pulled the bo-staff out of his utility belt.

The braided blue-haired girl swiftly jumped from roof to roof per building with a smile so smug that made Starfire want to hurt her more. The red-haired alien aimed a starbolt at the woman, which she avoided with ease.

In return, she made the air all around Jump City cold and frosty that made Starfire's hair slightly turn white and covered with ice, and her boots were turning white. Starfire cuddled herself in a not-so-warm hug. She closed her eyes as a strong gush of wind met against her, and slowly opened one eye in an attempt to be able to see what she wanted to see. Robin and the others stopped on their tracks behind her as they took in the unusual scene.

_She…what is she doing here? She could not possibly be…_

"Oh, but I am. It is I, dearest cousin. It is I."

Laughing that maddening laugh, she threw pillars of icicles over the Titans, and they shielded themselves with their own arms. They avoided them with ease.

"Now, now, Princess Koriand'r." The strange alien-girl landed her feet on the building. "Don't tell me you've been doing some unacceptable things here on this low-state planet." She stood in front of a kneeling Starfire.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nonsense." She bent down and raised her chin with a single finger so she was looking at her evil bright blue eyes. "You're coming with me whether you like it or—"

Cyborg blasted his sonic boom towards her. She landed with a soft _thud_. "You stay away from her. You'll have to go through us first, whether you like it or not."

"You'll regret what you did for harboring a criminal." She said quietly, calm as you please.

The ground where the males stood turned ice, smooth as a skating rink. Cyborg slipped and fell flat on his face. Robin threw birdirangs towards his attacker. Smoke rose from the ground as he threw pellets on Alien-girl's position. Beast Boy transformed into a fox, showing that he was cold.

Starfire, who was in so much pain that standing up would be a great struggle, stood up to join the fight. She flew above and threw a volley of starbolts at the enemy.

"What did I do to enrage you? Do you have any right to attack me?"

"Don't play innocent, dearest cousin." Ice-girl aced her defenses. She kneeled to earn an amount of force and gather as much water vapor from the air.

"Don't scorn her."

Robin sent a flying kick towards the assailant. Ice-girl merely moved on her right side to avoid the reflex. She complacently smiled inside.

Reading her face, Robin took out his bo-staff and looked at the girl directly in the eye.

"You leave now."

"Boy, am I scared." The girl just laughed.

"Unwise choice."

He aimed his metallic baton towards her, but she sent an icicle to fight with him. She controlled it herself as if it was a sword, although it was just floating into mid-air. It was almost like, telepathy with inanimate objects.

As he found himself fighting with a non-living object, he was enraged more, so, breaking the icicle and dashed towards Icy.

"Robin, don't!"

Starfire shielded Icy and he hit the red-haired alien instead.

"Starfire! What are you-?"

Ungrateful of what her long-lost friend did to her, she only snickered cruelly at the situation.

"Wise choice."

As Icy neared Starfire and Robin, Raven entered the scene and waved her hands covered with black energy and made a solid telekinetic sharp projectile pointing at Alien-girl's neck.

"Keep distance."

She solely sneered. "Shame on you. You don't want to be alarmed, fine. Go on and keep that forajida old troq in your filthy hands." Her eyes seemed far-away as if nothing happened. "The Tamaranian Police shall be sent here to forcefully arrest you."

As she flew away, she left small traces of ice following her path of breakout.

Robin, who is un self-consciously holding Starfire, who is also un self-conscious, had her in his arms on the floor, both too caught up on the recent event that just happened.

Robin asked, "Did you know about this?"

"No."

* * *

"Okay. Will someone care to explain what just happened out there?"

The Titans have just returned to the tower. Robin continuously insisted answers from Starfire, but he isn't satisfied with every word that comes from her mouth.

"I do not know, okay?" Starfire said for the fifth time. "If I did, I should have told you the reason earlier."

"Yeah, Boy Blunder. What part of 'I don't know' can't you understand?" Raven reminded for the sixth time.

"Well, that's all? Just sat there and watched the civilians run around?"

"Watch your words, Robin." Beast Boy stepped forward. "That's Raven you're talking with. Can't you just…put some trust in her?"

This was the part wherein someone has to tell that everything's done and everything's alright. The past is in the past. You can't afford to live in it. But everyone is too tired to continue playing the game.

Robin took advantage of the pause to speak.

"Can't you see?" Robin raised his voice louder. "What if she attacks us again? Then we wouldn't know her tactics, her weaknesses, everything. As the leader of the team—"

"As the leader of the team," Starfire stood up from the bed she was sitting on. She was now recovering quickly from the hit she got from Robin lately. "You must be the one who is capable of solving problems like this, and in order to do so, you must maintain peace amongst us. Clearly, you haven't understood that I have said already that she is my cousin, seventy-five percent Tamaranian and twenty-five percent Zachatanian, she has been my best friend ever since I was little, and I'm sure that she did not mean everything of this."

"How can you be so sure? When was the last time you met her? What if she had changed into someone you don't know today?"

"She isn't like that, Robin! You don't know anything of her—"

"Well, for your information, I know enough. Did you even hear a small 'thank you' escape her mouth after you saved her from me?"

"Well…I—"

"Well what?"

"Please, I don't want this fight to continue anymore. Maybe after a small amount of research we could—"

A knocking on their door interrupted Starfire. The knocking continued for seconds. And seconds more.

"Would somebody _please_ answer that stupid door?"

"Why don't _you_, Boy Blunder?"

"Raven, don't call me Blunder."

"What do you want, 'Boy Perfectionist'?"

"Ha-ha." Robin frowned. "Very funny, Raven."

"Understatement of the century." Cyborg said thoughtfully.

"Well, she has a point." Beast Boy smiled slightly.

The knocking on the door continued.

"For cryin' out loud." Robin shook his head. "Starfire, will you answer that?"

"I cannot walk well yet."

"Looks like you have no choice, _Boy Perfectionist_."

Cyborg and Beast Boy slapped hands.

"Idiots." Raven was monotone.

Robin groaned.

As he stepped downstairs to answer the door, the knocking suddenly stopped. _Who was that?_ _Some random prank-ologist?_

When Robin reached the door, he saw a small red rose on the doorstep. A red rose that had a note saying, "Be mine, my beautiful Starfire."

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter is so…BORING. I mean, DOWNRIGHT boring. Ugh. Okay. So I'll do my best in polishing to perfection the next episode. And…maybe if I'll get two reviews for this chapter, I will update on…let's say, Thursday? Yeah, Thursday. If I don't, well…sorry, guys. It's just that…I think you deserve another chapter, but I can't post the Fourth one until I finish the Fifth. It's a self-rule. But, since some of y'all have been so loyal, I'll reward you a teaser. Here goes:**

* * *

"What do you want from her?"

"I...Robin, Slade is—"

She was interrupted by a malicious chuckle. "So you haven't told them our little secret?"

"Secret?" Four pairs of perplexed eyes stared at Starfire, who was nervous by being reprimanded in front of the ne'er-do-well by her teammates.

"What is it?" Robin demanded.

"It was...Slade...he—"

"Starfire. She doesn't seem to care about you at all, Robin."

* * *

**Ahhh! What could that mean? Only one way to find out, right?**

**Love, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL :)**

**Oh, just stick around for a few seconds more. Okay. I have asked you before, and I'll ask you again. IS THIS CHAPTER CONFUSING? I think it's confusing. (Answers to this question will not be counted to one of the two reviews that I need to update on Thursday. Just PM me if you like.) :) Love y'all!**


	4. Foreseeing the Impending

**Author's Note: Hi guys! Looks like you've won…and I thank every reviewer out there who reviewed my story, Peter Pan! Readers, beware, you're in for a scare! This is a long chapter, (4367 words, to be exact—and the usual is only 3800 or something like that without the Author Notes) and in my opinion, I think there's pretty much a lot story principles you need to take in. That's why I kept asking y'all if my story is confusing, because this Fourth chapter might screw EVERY thing up. ****Tell me if I need to revise this, alright?**** I'm serious about revising this chapter. Don't be selfish of your thoughts. Thank you. :)**

**Dedication: Miss light is in the dark. Her FFN stories rock. I love them all. The problem is, she isn't updating. So if you're reading this, Miss light is in the dark, I hope you'll update **_**(Accidentally) Forgetting You**_** right this very instant. Oh, and, I want y'all to leave this page and research her pen name and read (Accidentally) Forgetting You IMMEDIATELY. [XD! :)] I mean, it's your choice. I promise, you'll love it much as I do, as I say so myself. **

**Disclaimer: I own the Teen Titans. I, a pathetically impecunious sickeningly blemished litter that deserves to live in a trash bag, own the awesomest show ever, the Teen Titans. NOT…!**

* * *

Chapter Four

Foreseeing the Impending

* * *

"Looks like you have no choice, _Boy Perfectionist_."

Cyborg and Beast Boy slapped hands.

"Idiots." Raven was monotone.

Robin grunted. He thought of someone who might want to be visiting the Titans. The Titans East? No, they are too busy protecting the Steel City to have the time. The Jump City Police Department? No, they would call their Tower hotline and let them know of their coming first. Some random civilian who wants help or something like that? No, they would report it to the JCPD instead. Who would want to row a boat to reach the Titans Tower, anyway, if you can take a cab and go to the Police Dept.?

Robin stepped downstairs, his footsteps echoing through the vast chamber.

The knocking stopped abruptly when he reached the door. The person who was outside unquestionably wanted to make sure that whatever he's doing will be thought of by the Titans as true.

_Who was that?_ Robin heard himself say his thoughts loudly_. Some random prank-ologist?_

He opened the door with haste. But no one was there.

He moved outside, as if trying to locate where the joker has gone.

"Who's there?"

As his foot took the first march, it stepped over something, and a cracking sound could be heard. He looked below his feet. There was a...a flower?

It was a small red rose on the doorstep, and it was obvious that this one rose was taken care of carefully, cut skillfully and kept moist. When he picked it up, a note fell to the ground. Robin read it. It said something horrible that made his skin hair rise in horror.

"Be mine, my beautiful Starfire."

The Boy Wonder breathed sharply. He reread every word over and over again as if he had read it wrongly, but no matter how much he wanted some magic to be casted upon that note to change those words, it remained the same.

_Be mine, my beautiful Starfire._

The note got more disgusting in his eyes as he studied every word. He wished he was just dreaming. No. This is not a dream. _It's a nightmare._

But who could and would do this? The guy who left this had the nerve.

Either way, he decided that this was just some random stunt. No one would do this. No one would dare do this. Not if Robin's around. It's just a worthless piece of laughingstock knock-knock act. It has to be.

_But what if it isn't?_ A voice whispered and got out of its House of Secrets. _What if Starfire's going to get engaged or something? Oh no. What if she gets married? What if some prince wants her for himself and she falls in love with him and leaves you here alone? She'll never choose you over anyone, Robin. You're as stupid as you are crazy. You're as crazy as you are stupid. No way would a goody-two shoes warrior planet Tamaranian princess Starfire would ever choose you over anyone—_

He hastily locked that Voice of Doom in a mental cabinet and padlocked it three times inside another mental cabinet padlocked thrice.

_There. That ought to do the trick. _

With such force burning inside him, with such emotions that he thoughts he could never feel, he threw the rose into the deep, blue lake, and forgot about all the stuff that just happened in the last ten minutes.

* * *

"So," Cyborg started, "Who's that?"

Robin ignored the question. He pretended to be all serious. His line of vision passed the half-man and focused on the empath. "So, Raven, is Star doing fine?"

Starfire herself seemed shocked. It was, after all, the first time that he showed concern for her. He hadn't even said sorry after the incident. Robin had _hit_ her with his bo-staff after all.

"Yeah, she is." Raven replied. Starfire remained quiet, which continued to annoy Robin.

Beast Boy joined in the conversation. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's up with the sudden change of subject? Who was there downstairs?"

Robin's eyes went dark. He turned to look away from the staring group of heroes. "It's no one. Probably no one. Maybe it was just a practical joke or something like that."

"Dude, you don't get knock-knock pranks in the middle of a land mass surrounded by a body of water." Cyborg said matter-of-factly. "Especially if you're talking Titans tower. Are you sure it wasn't anyone else—"

"I SAID IT'S NO ONE!" Robin raised his voice to a level that made his teammates jump in surprise. Why he decided to keep the flower-and-note incident, he doesn't know. All he knows is that he needs to keep it from Starfire. Who knows what's hidden behind that scene? No one. Robin thought that if something comes, he'll be able to get through with this. He'd already outfoxed the Titans for several times without them even noticing. He'll manage.

He cleared his throat as he realized that he was overreacting over a childish thing. "It's no one. Never mind that. It's...it's nothing. I just checked you out for a bit."

Robin prepared to march out of Starfire's room. But then—

"Robin?"

Starfire called his name which made him wince. Her sweet charming voice...it pireced through his cold and unfeeling body and made him color. He couldn't imagine a life without hearing her voice every now and then, he needs it today, he needs it tomorrow, he'll need it forever. He could listen to that voice no matter how many millions of times, and he'll never get enough.

He faced her with awkward hostility.

Starfire seemed to take back what she'd done.

"Are you angry with me?" Starfire asked.

Oh no. She'd put it that way. But because she put it that way, he realized that he wasn't at all angry at her for that Ice-girl thingy.

What he was angry about at the current time though_,_ he thought, was that note thing.

_I'm totally gonna beat the crap out of that pinheaded bloke once I see him..._

"Starfire." Robin's shoulders slumped. "I, uh...no. It was just that...I just saw this..." He thought that he had to tell them about the note thing to have a decent explanation, but he had to keep it a secret.

Robin didn't know how to explain.

"Oh no." Raven said with mock seriousness. "He's definitely not angry at something."

The Boy Wonder wanted to shout. She sensed the wrong feeling!

"No, no, I...why would I be angry? Of course if you didn't do something wrong, why would I be angry?"

Starfire took his voice as one poisoned with sarcasm. She realized that Robin was angry at her for saving that Ice-girl from him without any warning.

"Fine. Be that way." Starfire picked up Raven's anger for Boy Blunder. "I was just going to say that I was sorry for whatever wrong I have done, but it seems like you aren't ready to receive the amends I am heartily willing to give to you so. Go on. Please proceed to wherever you are going. I would be fine without you, anyway. Why would I not be?"

_Why do you have to make things so difficult?_ Robin wanted to slap his forehead. After he gets to beat up that vicious disgusting note-sender, he's gonna beat Raven's telekinetic powers next. Fights, fights, fights. _Why do fights always have to exist between them?_

Raven had an answer. Reading his mind, she heard herself say, "You," She pointed that finger of hers towards Robin, and then Starfire. But she looked at Robin when she said her next words, indicating that everything's at his fault based on her judgment. "Stop this. Both of you are _so_ acting like moronic idiots. You know what? I think these fights exist because of your immaturity. Senseless, pointless, meaningless. Less, less, less. Would you act appropriately at your age accordingly?" She held her forehead in exhaustion. "You guys are giving me a headache."

She left the room with outright hostility.

"Y'all," Cyborg moaned. "The Tower's becoming more and more inhabitable by the minute. I think I need to drive somewhere."

"Dude!" Beast Boy came up behind the half-man, ever so afraid of being left in Starfire's room with two juvenile Titans fighting over a little, pointless issue. "I'm comin'!"

Cyborg felt his longing, and then shrugged, indicating he's glad to do so. He pushed the button that was directed for the door-opening sequence, and softly closed the door. Robin hadn't had the time to blink when Beast Boy's head popped up like a jack-in-the-box in the little space between the opened door and the wall that separated it.

"You sure you wouldn't come?"

Robin blinked, and then shook his head slightly.

"Do what you gotta," Beast Boy dismissed, "'Cause we're gonna have the awesomest day ever!"

Then the door closed. Right when the Boy Wonder was assured that it wasn't going to open again, he spoke first before he let Starfire talk.

"Now, Starfire, I sure hope you heard what Raven said about being juveni—" He turned his head, but saw Starfire sleeping peacefully. Raven left the room scolding them both. Cyborg and Beast Boy kept yakking here and there before they left. Robin's shadow could be felt by anyone, anytime, anywhere.

And now he sees Starfire _sleeping_?

How_ convenient_, Robin thought.

_Maybe she really was _that_ exhausted_, he thought. Robin's sharp eyes softened at the sight of a tranquil princess. She quaked at the quiet tears of a weakened child, all too peaceful that made the room seem like heaven. Robin scanned Starfire's room. Pink walls. Pink curtains. Pink sheets. Pink bed. A round pink bed. Robin though that Starfire is…just too extraordinary of a girl for him to deserve.

Robin sighed. Assured that the Tamaranian princess was fast asleep, he walked beside her bed, and peered at her with awe and admiration. He could be loving and kind to Starfire sometimes too, when he wants to, contrary to Raven's belief. He pushed the thin, red hair that partly covered her face, and looked at the charming little smile playing on her lips. He pulled a blanket to cover her, and he sat on the chair beside her bed.

He held her free hand, tightly and affectionately. The warmth of her hand always has convinced him that everything would be fine. That's what the princess has always thought him. Life…it doesn't end here, it doesn't start there. Whenever he feels hopeless, she has always told him that hope is just lingering around the corner. Just a small trust, happiness…and as Peter Pan would say, a little pixie dust.

Peter Pan. Robin sighed. Thinking of a childish cartoon character Disney's classics like Peter Pan made him want to puke. But as he thought further, this song suddenly entered his mind…

_I'll go looking for you at Neverland, by following Tinkerbell, who was sent by the memories…_

_I am forever your Peter Pan…_

_Your man who has stopped in time…_

_I may be clumsy, but I loved you so much…_

Erase, erase, delete, delete. _Ew_, he thought. (A/N: **If only he knew…)**

He looked at those closed eyes one final time. He doesn't want to leave her here. But it would be better if he left Starfire here alone. He stood up from his chair after a couple of minutes. Then he removed a strand of hair that covered her cheek. He bent low and kissed her forehead, and he whispered, ever so adoringly and gently, "I love you, Starfire. No matter how much I don't seem to."

He stepped out of the room quietly, and opened the door for him. He stole one more look from Starfire before he pushed the button to close the door.

Starfire's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the leaving Boy Wonder.

"I love you too."

* * *

_Night came…_

When Robin flopped on his bed, he couldn't get Starfire's name out of his head. As he glanced on his table, he saw tons of newspapers, about Slade and the Teen Titans' valiance. He got up from his seat of comfort after a few minutes of spacing out, went to his table and scanned the dirty desk.

_Crimes, crimes, crimes…all these are just about crimes!_ He mumbled to himself.

He scanned the trashes of papers, as if looking for something. As he dug through them further, he found this newspaper…dated November 16, 1959. _I had a newspaper dated 1959?_

He blew the dust that once covered it. Then, a headline called his attention.

_Jump Fire kills Hayden_

_Twenty-sixth year old actress and supermodel Victoria Hayden killed mysteriously when a fire ate up her mansion in Jump City, in the night of November 15, 1959._

_Hayden's manager reports: "After that shooting night, we went straightly home. Victoria wanted to go to sleep early, so I let her. [Exactly] an hour later—it was three am—the fire began. I had no idea what to do then, I was so taken over by panic, I ran out of the building, not knowing if she was safe. When I'm out, Victoria…I just knew she got killed."_

_The source of the fire is still unknown, though the Jump City Police Department doubts that the scene was an accident, mainly because of the time gap between from when Hayden slept and when the fire began._

Robin arched an eyebrow. This case was interesting.

_Hayden's attendants informed that a fellow supermodel, Kristina Crawford, had the most possibility of starting the fire, as for having a possible motive. The suspect denied the accusation. Truthfully saying, Crawford was abroad and had no likelihood for starting the fire, thus, zeroing the JCPD's suspect list. _

_JCPD is on the move for searching the crook behind the case, as Hayden's relatives demand that justice shall be served. _

Robin instantly went back to his computer. He clicked the 'X' part of notepad, and a 'Save File Dialogue Box' appeared. He scanned what he had just written. He thought for a couple of seconds, and clicked the 'Save' command.

He opened his browser, and researched the name "Victoria Hayden". Opening another tab, he put in "November 15, 1959". As the page concerning Victoria Hayden came up, he clicked the tab and scanned the article. It said that the supermodel had her first shooting here, and had her first movie there. She was a scholar in that school, and was famous in this country. It said that her valuable possession was an old clock, and that she had a knack in singing. She always wore this necklace, and she was often called her infamous nickname which was—

Robin closed the tab. This was getting nowhere.

November 15, 1959. It was the day of Hayden's death. As Robin read further, he realized that he was just reading the same article he read lately. _Useless_, he thought. But before he closed the tab, he saw a glimpse of the ruins of the mansion. It was a blurry and grainy photo smeared across the page after the article. It stood on a small island located from Jump's mainland. It was surrounded by crystal clear blue water, and the ashes left by the fire were unflattering.

It wasn't just anywhere. It was the islet where the Titans' Tower is presently put up.

But with the unrecognizable black-and-white photograph, it was quite hard to tell. **(**_**Emphasis on this line**_**... A/N: This is for the sequel of this story…YEAH! I'm planning a sequel! More about that later…)**

Half-satisfied, he went back to his desk, and continued reading newspapers. As he took the most recent one, his curtains started to sway. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. His windows are closed tightly and his doors were locked. So why did the still, moist air turn into a crisp, cold wind?

_I'm just thinkin' things,_ Robin thought. Shrugging it off, Robin held the paper as he tried to focus. _That tick-tocking sound of that _digital (emphasis on the word _digital_…)_ clock is rather annoying … _

Robin shoved the newspapers off his desk, somewhat annoyingly. As he did, a picture of Starfire was revealed at the very bottom of the mountain of papers. It was a picture full of happiness and a sweet yet sad smile was on her face. Starfire wanted Robin to remember her this way that day. It was a picture that she had left on his table the day when she planned to leave for Tamaran when Blackfire 'took her place'. _No will ever take over your place. No one._

After several minutes of looking at her picture, he murmured.

"Starfire."

Frost started creeping in. His window panes were suddenly covered by solid ice.

A cold airstream went through his spine. His curtains swayed like ghosts threatening to scare him. The newspapers on his table was blown and scattered everywhere. The sheets on his bed flew. And the lampshade beside him sparked and died. Suddenly, he noticed something…odd.

Beside the window, in front of his table. There was a grandfather clock.

"What in the world?"

He never had a grandfather clock, ever in his whole life. He got up. As he did, he realized that someone, something is watching him.

Robin looked around. He found his quarters slightly turning white.

He heard a vicious laugh come from behind his back.

The Boy Wonder turned, but saw no one. "Who's there?" He asked, rather threateningly.

The malicious laugh continued with a chuckle.

"Now that she's gone, Robin," a girl—is she familiar?— appeared as she walked coquettishly towards him. Robin let out a strangled gasp as her cold, icy hands touched his shoulder. "Let's have all the fun we could get for ourselves now, shall we?"

"Wait." Robin recognized her. "You're—"

"Hush, my dear Robin." She looked directly into his eyes. She smiled that evil smile of hers.

Robin looked deeply into those eyes. Fear. He feels...fear. But something came from that blue eyes of hers...they were...they were...mesmerizing him. Those eyes...he wanted so badly to look away from them...but he couldn't. Those eyes...they were overcoming his fear, and it...no matter how he controlled himself, eventually, it...took his soul.

She removed his mask, and Robin let her. "Hush."

And she started kissing him with all love, and Robin replied with a fiercer one.

They were inseparable.

* * *

Starfire sat abruptly at the sense of danger. She looked at the wall clock, ticking loudly as it woke her.

2:31 am.

A shadow passed behind her, but it was too fast to let her notice it. She turned around. She was certain not only had a clock waked her up…

"Is someone there?"

Silence answered her back.

With a hint of a frown playing on her lips, she cautiously laid her head on the soft, comfy pillow. But as she tranquilly rested and drifted back to sleep, something, _someone_ woke her again.

She abruptly sat up. Despite the pain that shot through her head, she managed to get her voice out loud enough and threateningly. "Who's there?"

Seconds seemed like minutes. A malicious, evil voice replied with, "I see that my apprentice didn't obey my very command."

The voice came from a shadow-covered corner of her room. She pushed the blankets away from her, now wide-awake.

"I…I will not exchange obedience with the likes of you!"

"I see." Slade stepped into the pale moonlight that spilled into Starfire's room. "After you are defeated on a fair duel, you choose to do it your own way."

"What I _don't_ see though," Starfire fired, "…is your reason for forcing me to tell my friends about you!" She lowered her voice, so as to not awake the other Titans. She'll be _busted_…

The villain recognized the gesture. "You don't want to fight here? Very naïve indeed. No matter how you hide your secrets with me from your friends, they will definitely be revealed on the time that is fitting."

Slade disappeared, without any clue, any warning. His strategic skills couldn't match Robin's, let alone Starfire's to any offense. The fact made Starfire quake with fear. She hoped that Slade couldn't hear her knees trembling. She and he never really fought face to face, maybe the only words that they've exchanged are only up to fifty. However, she stayed alert.

With determination burning in her bright, green eyes, mad enough to kill, she flew out of the window of the bay and followed searched for Slade. He has got to be just here around the corner…

* * *

The tick-tocking sound wouldn't stop. It grew louder and louder by the minute.

"My dear," this time, the woman pushed him away. "I'm afraid we have a visitor."

Robin turned around and saw a thirteen year old girl wearing a 1900's blouse, and her hair was tied in a tight delectable braid. It was a…a ghost?

It looked into the eyes of the woman, and then back at Robin, wild-eyed. That ghost noticed his eyes cold, hesitant, and… vague?

Robin just shrugged, and pulled the lady into a tight hug, and started kissing all over again.

"Stop!" The ghost commanded. "Stay away from Robin!"

The lady pulled Robin away gently, but shouted at the ghost in an unladylike manner. "You stay away, you pathetically dense idiot!"

The ghost dematerialized, and possessed Robin. She used his body to kick the lady in the gut.

"AAHH!" The woman shouted on the top of her lungs. "You'll pay for this, you callous bitch! YOU WILL PAY!" Then, the mysterious lady dematerialized.

* * *

"You." Starfire aimed a starbolt at Slade. "Don't." She shot another starbolt, which, again, he avoided with ease. "Interfere." She ran to Slade with all anger and rage. "With." She gave him a punch, but he just moved to his side to avoid the reflex. "Our." Her eyes remained sharp and frightening. But nothing frightened the enemy. "Lives!"

"You are not planning to tell your teammates about me? But why?" Slade continued to shower the auburn-haired alien with frustrating questions, which only made her madder.

A purple-booted foot connected with Slade's stomach, and he was enraged further, too. _Why couldn't she just answer this one small question?_

"I am not the one looking for a fight! You are!"

"Now that's the spirit I'm waiting for."

Slade dashed towards Starfire, who was stepping on the edge of the Tower's rooftop.

* * *

Raven abruptly sat up, her head aching with different emotions erupting around every corner of the Titans' Tower. Sensing the one overcoming the other, she pulled out her communicator and contacted the Titans. She flew out her room, and she saw Beast Boy coming from that corner and Cyborg from the other. As expected, the half-man asked both of the present heroes.

"You heard it too?"

"Kind of like a baby-monkey shout probably frightened by a large serpent which is about to vaporize it using its deadly poisonous venom?" Beast Boy sleepily suggested, rubbing his eyes in drowsiness.

"Robin's room," Raven announced with genuine anxiety. "Titans, go!"

"Wait. That's _my_ line, isn't it?"

"Robin, Robin are you okay?"

The ghost escaped from his body. The crazy kissing queen just disappeared, and Robin was lying on the floor listlessly.

"Robin! Wake up!"

He suddenly woke up, and he saw the glowing figure breathing a sigh of relief in front of him.

"Thank goodness you're alright!"

Then she disappeared.

Robin stood, not knowing what just happened in the last five minutes.

His door was suddenly opened, revealing his three Titan friends.

"Um." The Boy Wonder scratched his neck. "What the heck is happening?"

"Uh," Beast Boy interacted, "I think it's you who should be asked, 'What the heck happened in your room just lately?'"

"Didn't that shout come from your room?" Raven asked atop BB's question.

Robin uttered a small "um". Then he was alerted when he heard a "ding-dong" sound of a clock as it stroke 3:00 am. Robin turned around. _What's a grandfather clock doing here? I never had a grandfather clock, ever in my whole life. This is just eccentric._

"Robin, you seemed shocked." Beast Boy put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"You…" Robin stammered—which was unusual of him, "You don't hear…you can't see that clock?"

He pointed to an empty space.

"Dude, you're just dreaming." Cyborg assured him. "Aren't you sick or something? You look pale, you know."

After a few seconds, something happened that worried the Titans further.

They suddenly heard shrieking. It was like a frightened cry of help. Why was that voice so familiar? It was only very, very faint, almost inaudible. But they heard it. A female voice, they are sure. Wait a minute. That's not any civilian's voice walking around the street, it was-

"Starfire!"

* * *

"Starfire." Raven's tone was serious. "She's in trouble. Her aura…" Raven touched her head, as if searching for some appropriate word. "Her aura…is weak."

"You heard it too?" The Boy Wonder asked the two buddies.

They both nodded.

All Titans vacated Robin's room.

"Cy, could you tell where she is from here?"

"Yeah," Cyborg looked hesitant. "But is her communicator with her?"

"She has to have." Robin said through gritted teeth.

"Found her. On the rooftop."

They quickly ran to the direction of the stairs. As they did, Beast Boy asked moodily,

"What's she doin' there at that top at this time? I never even heard of 3 am!"

It was Raven who replied. "Typical."

They opened the door leading to Starfire's location. And they saw…nothing.

"What's going on here?" Beast Boy asked more wide-awake.

"That device's got the wrong detail?" Robin asked.

"No, I just rewired it recently. Keep looking. She's gotta be here somewhere…"

"Raven, don't you feel anything?"

"I was about to tell you that… weirdly, I can't feel her aura."

"What do you mean you can't feel her aura?" Robin angrily asked.

"Wait a minute…" Beast Boy mumbled, "Hey guys! I think I found somethin'!"

The other Titans came in to look.

Raven began, "That's not something, that's—"

Beast Boy gasped. "Star's communicator!"

"Whose communicator?"

"Star's what?!" Robin could hardly believe this.

"Wait." Raven was thinking. "If Starfire's communicator is here, then where is she?"

He doesn't know why, but he went on the edge of the tower. His instincts told him something. And they were right.

He saw Starfire lying on the ground.

* * *

**Author's Note: I have asked you before, AND I'll ask you again: DID THAT NEWSPAPER AND GHOST THINGY RUINED EVERYTHING? Is this chapter confusing?**

**Thank you ever so for understanding! And being patient with my never ending questions, too. **

**Wait. Stick around for a couple of minutes, I've got something—or more appropriately, SOMETHINGS—very important to say:**

**So. The newspaper thing may have screwed everything up. But I just need to put in that small news report, because that'll serve as a hint for the sequel for Peter Pan, titled:**

**Peter Pan: The Trip to Mexico**

**But that is just a plan! **

**So. Reality check. I'm not even half-way my story, and I'm already plannin' a sequel. So, this is quite a long chapter. I really, really, REALLY wanted to divide it into two chapters, (because I am so evil…) but I had no choice. I had to combine the Chapter Four and a fragment of the Fifth to make it up to you, because this school entrance examinations thingy came up and ruined my whole writing schedule, and expect that I won't be updating until next week (or prolly next, next week) because I had to take this thingamajig seriously, or I'll be grounded for two weeks from my notebooks then I wouldn't be able to write for that long a time. I know I have, like, fifty notebooks in my locker, but not to brag or anything, I couldn't sin from my parents. **

**Okay. We're drifting away from the topic. I recommend you to keep that in mind, that the newspaper thingy is NOTHING in this fic. And that ghost girl. IT IS NOTHING in the fiction. Well, so far, anyway. (I needed to put that in because I **_**need**_** Robin to have some alibi before finding out about Star's accident, and I could think of nothing else.) So, I have asked you before and yet again right now: IS MY FICTION CONFUSING? This is what I was telling you. When I worked on this chapter, I had a HEADACHE on making a way for you to understand the meaning of this episode. I worked really, really hard, I hope y'all like it. I want to sob, y'all. I HATE THIS CHAPTER EVER SO MUCH, BUT I SURE HOPE Y'ALL LOVE IT. But you know, I don't…I know this chapter isn't a good work…things are happening fast. Maybe too fast. (But as I told you, I had a reason.) But the point is, I just want to say to y'all that I acknowledge the lack of thoughts inserted in this chapter, which made it pretty unapt, and made everything happen so fast. **

**However, hurt my feelings, please. I want someone to hurt my feelings. I know now that some people like my fic (And I am downright thankful for that, to: Miss light is in the dark, aylathetitan, and just-rubieblue) but I know very well that my fiction is not flawless. Let's start by rating the chapter by letters. I know NO ONE WOULD REVIEW about how flaw-ful this episode is, so, use this Rubric system:**

**A – Excellent**

**B – Proficient**

**C – Approaching proficiency**

**D – Developing**

**E – Beginning**

**There. Please vote honestly. And if you vote ****D**** or ****E****, please give me a note.**

**:)**

**Love, **

**T-K-O-G, THe-gIrL-WHo-WroTe-tEeN-tItANs-FaNfIcTIOn-StOrIes :))**

**Sub-note: This chapter is frustrating, because you forced me into updating today. I mean, not forced as in **_**forced**_**, it's just that I have to keep y'all my promise. **

**Sub-note 2: If you see any typo error in here or some mistake like that in this chapter, please tell. No matter how small that may be. Don't be selfish. It's just because I made this chapter hastily, I don't have time to read it. I need to review for the upcoming entrance exam. Yah. That one. I need to review. My parents are pestering my life. :(**

**BYE! Until next time…**

**Oh, the teaser I gave you last time, you ask? I'm so silly, that teaser was for the fifth (or was it sixth?) chapter. NOW you know what happens next. **_**Stupid, stupid, stupid.**_** *whacks forehead not-so-gently against the table***

**You want a teaser right ****now**** you say? Okay. I give you a teaser:**

Several more hands. They grabbed her hair. They pulled her head down. Until she was nothing but a drowning Tamaranian girl.

The fact that she couldn't speak, or actually do anything, she doesn't know.

All she wanted was to get out of the water.

But all struggling failed.

**THERE! And I am ****sure**** they came from the FIFTH chapter, titled, **_**Playing with Fire**_**. All done. **

**Sub-note 3: Don't be angry if you NOTICED that the A/N's are longer than the story itself. (****METAPHORICALLY)**

**So I guess this is good-bye…**

**BYE! :)**

**): :) That means *half sad, half happy***


	5. Foreseeing the Impending II

**Author's Note: I cancelled that **_**Playing with Fire**_** thing. Yeah. That one. And, let me tell you. I'm going to have to write this fast. My mom's jus' behind me doing the laundry, and if she sees me here, it's either pull the plug of the PC from its socket, or post this for you. No kidding.**

**Dedication: To EXO-K, the coolest boy band that ever existed...!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. :( But someday...*laughs evilly* I would prevail... (XD! :)**

* * *

Chapter Five

Foreseeing the Impending II

* * *

"Wait a minute…" Beast Boy bent and let his drowsy eyes focus on what seemed to look like...a Titan communicator? He wasn't sure... "Hey guys! I think I found somethin'!"

Robin's eyes shot up, sharp, excited, and burning with anticipation. Raven and Cyborg followed Robin and ran behind his back towards the now wide-awake Changeling.

"That's not something," Raven began with outright apprehension. "That's-"

"Star's communicator!" Beast Boy now realized the danger his friend may be into. He rubbed his eyes, as if to say, 'Pinch me. I'm dreaming.'

"Whose communicator?" Cyborg asked atop Robin's "Star's what?!"

He could hardly believe this. Something's going on. Now that the danger had threatened Starfire in front of the other Titans, the amateur detective thought that something's wrong. His suspicions were bursting with questions that he doesn't yet want to answer.

_Who would do this? What happened? What did that villain want? How did this started? And why, why the _heck_ would someone attack Starfire?_

This was what he had feared that would be coming, rushing towards him. Starfire...she's in danger now. Her life is at stake. Why didn't he back up against her when he had the chance? Why wasn't he thinking about the grave consequences that might result when it comes to loving her? Why did he pursue in something not very-well thought of? Why did he let his feelings take over him? Why, _why_ did his mind have to blow like this? He hated the topic of love.

_If only I hadn't kissed her in Tokyo..._

He balled his fists. He gritted his teeth. What he needs now is a punching bag.

He was returning to his wicked thoughts again.

"Robin, focus." Raven's monotonous voice brought him back to Earth. But out-of-the-blue, she suddenly let out a small groan in pain. "Wait. Starfire's aura...it's so…so faint...pain...I could feel it...so much pain...and..."

"Rae?" Beast Boy came to her side, and made sure Raven doesn't fall to the ground. She seemed vulnerable enough to be knocked off by the wind. "Raven, are you alright?"

The empath held her temples in obvious pain. She kneeled down as she tried to control her hurt.

"What's happening?" Robin kneeled down beside her as he demanded an answer. "Should I call nine-one-one or something?"

"Raven? Look, Raven, if you're not gonna tell me _what_ in the _world_ is happening, I'm going to force you to let it out either way." Beast Boy shook her shoulders gently. "We need Raven to heal Raven!"

_Geez_, Cyborg thought. Making a joke at this time was not very ideal.

Oblivious of the commotion surrounding her, she told them in a breathless voice, "Starfire...if she isn't here, then where..." Raven closed her eyes and bent down as pain kept stinging through her head. "Then where is...where is she?"

Robin stood up. He doesn't know why, but he went on the edge of the Tower. His instincts told him something.

And to his horror, they were right.

He saw Starfire lying on the ground.

* * *

The Tamaranian princess woke up on an unusual place. The entire area was...dark. It was space. It was _space_?

When you think of outer space, you think of stars. When you think of stars, you think of light. You think of energy. You think of beauty, you think of warmth, you think of power. You think of freedom, feel amazement of the sight of the wonderful place X'hal has made. You think that you do not deserve to see such beauty. Such bright, breathless light, such free, pleasing hope.

But this time...Starfire did not feel freedom. Not hope. Not any of the mentioned things. Nothing.

The emptiness that surrounded her was frightening. But she could do nothing. Everything was black. No stars and anything else on the empty space. No light shining to guide her back to where she wants to be right now. No planets. No nothing.

Where was she to go in this situation? All she could do right now was to shout for help or cry in despair. Hours passed, she wandered around, and realized that she was all alone. As time gradually ran at a slow pace, she realized...she was on a place where...where...

Suddenly, she felt her insides pulling her towards a center.

_An illusion. All of this is an illusion_. Starfire thought through tight, compact lips, too much pain being felt by her entire body. She didn't have the enough energy to even open her eyes. She wanted to give in. She wanted to die at the minute. It was…too much…all too much pain to take in…It was just like…just like the time that she was used for the Psion experiments. She yelled. The _Psions_…just the thought of them made her want to…

A hint of recognition in Starfire's eyes glowed with sorrow. The most acclaimed scientists in the universe. Of course. They were the wicked, merciless ugly aliens who were selfish, cruel, and malevolent creatures. Memory stirred up her mind. Their name made her blood run cold. Fear in her eyes, she fought the pain with a shout. Her body surrounded by an orb of powerful green energy, she released all her feelings by exploding a giant starbolt in her place.

Starfire stared at the point of fixation of the disintegrating energy. Defeated, she sighed exhaustedly. She released too much power, maybe too much, that her solar strength was slowly being used up.

But suddenly, a black hole was formed by an unknown source just below her. No, it wasn't a black hole. It was a _wormhole_ ready to eat her inside. She fell, with such force that made her want to throw up. X-rays filled the inner section of the wormhole, and it stung her orange skin. An image of an hourglass circled her mind as a voice vibrated in her ears.

_Work with time, while you have the chance._

Outraged, confused, and terrified, she shouted with all her might, "What...is the meaning of-"

Starfire fell.

_Wake up from your slumber, escape from your trance._

Out of that wormhole, she escaped into space and was breathless. As she regained her composure, she saw herself floating in front of a purplish planet, with a brilliant mix of reddish pink. It was Tamaran.

Her home planet, it ever so loved of her…though it was her home of tragic memories.

_Scaly, horrifying shadows played on her walls…_

_Shouts of beloved people heard throughout the halls…_

_Little Ryand'r was captured…lashed…whipped…_

_Tamaranian soldiers being imprisoned with no cause…_

_Her parents being killed unsympathetically…_

"_There's nothing you could do to help them." A lizard-like figure seven feet tall whispered on her ear. Her face was tear-stained, but it only made the vicious alien feel better, proved by a malicious laugh. Her hands chained on the wall, the Gordanian started shredding her clothes, and its pointy, razor-sharp long nailed-finger pointing on her neck._

"_You'll come with us either way. There's no need for your struggling, great princess Koriand'r."_

"_X'hal, help me…"_

Caught by gravity, she plummeted until she reached the Tamaranian terrains.

Her eyes went wide and her expression was fearful.

_Look around and realize, enough is a glance._

She stood up, and looked around her. A castle. She saw a castle. For once in hours, her eyes burned with obvious happiness. She ran. She wanted to float, she wanted to fly, but, no. She ran.

_Release what's inside; don't believe in your qualms._

It didn't stop her. Running didn't stop her. She didn't care whether her boots are getting worn off from running. But no matter how she wanted to reach the castle…she noticed…was it running away from her?

_No, it would be impossible. Would that even be possible?_

She continued on running. Her eyes welled with tears as cruel, horrible memories returned to her. No matter how much she wanted to fly, she couldn't.

The ground started shaking. It moved in an impossible rate…stones rattled on, and the sand shook as though it was inside a bottle being shaken. It wasn't her; it was for real, even if she knows that all of this is just trickery. The castle in front of her collapsed. The earthquake made her stumble to the ground.

Galfore. She suddenly saw Galfore. Galfore, her adopted father, was in front of her. She smiled, for she knew that he will save her now that she needs him.

_Feelings erupt, they merely can't hide._

Galfore held his hand out, as if to help her up to stand on her feet. But instead, he shot her with a starbolt. It shouldn't have hurt, but Starfire felt his anger. His sadness. And his misery. Why is he feeling unhappiness, anyway?

She was wrong.

_No matter how, no matter when, from it, you can't stride._

Crestfallen, she gathered herself and her sniffles turned to sobs. She ran away. She wanted to fly, but she couldn't. The whole place where she was is a nightmare. The ground was shaking. And hands shot up from the field, just like the zombies did on the movie Wicked Scary. All ghostly, scary pictures whirled around her head.

More hands. Hundreds. Thousands. They were rising up the floor. It seemed like they had an object of fixation.

Starfire.

_Better to unleash, though it meant disaster._

It was then that she couldn't think straight. All she could think about was how Galfore had shot her. She was deeply appalled of everything else happening. With all her might, she pursued with her mind for her body to wake up. She wanted to contact Raven before anything else. But something was blocking her. Now she couldn't do something, but fight her fear.

_Happiness is yours, forever after._

Her subjects stood up, walking zombie-like towards Starfire. All of them; they had dirty clothes, pale skin, dull, cold blue eyes. _What is happening?_

She wanted to reach out. She wanted to help. Those poor beings, they are having an illness. What is this? A worldwide epidemic?

All around her, water suddenly filled the land. People from far away drowned instantly. Creatures near her are shouting for help.

"Princess!"

The water circled her. Why was she targeted?

"Help us!"

_But betrayals beware, when escaped from its lair,_

A boy called her out. She pulled him off the water. He was dirty, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to save him. She doesn't know, even though she hadn't met this boy before, it seemed like he was someone important in her life.

But then, several arms reached towards her. When she helped one old woman, all the people around started to grab her hands. She gasped.

_Must be understood, be perceived with care._

Several more hands. They grabbed her hair. They pulled her head down. She shouted. But nothing came out from her mouth. Her throat was dry, she couldn't speak.

_You may be here to protect, here to follow,_

The fact that she couldn't speak, or actually do anything, she doesn't know.

_Here to guide, like a sparrow,_

All she wanted was to get out of the water.

_Here to shield from all the sorrow,_

But all struggling failed.

_You're here today, yet gone tomorrow._

And everything went black.

* * *

_18 hours later…_

"Come on. Come on, Starfire."

Raven was beside Starfire's bed, currently in the Titans' medical room, now fully recovered from the headache she got earlier. Raven felt Star's pulse to go down much, much more rapidly, each one of them weak and faint. She tried to go into her mind, but something was urging for her to go out, kind of like when you see a sign saying 'Do not disturb', and there's electric wires everywhere, and that if you go in, you'll get harmed. But how could a bubbly and spirited woman like Starfire do that?

_I mean, seriously? Starfire? She's not that kind of person. Something serious must be happening. But, what could it be, when she's sleeping here with me—I mean, not with, with me, of course—if not peacefully?_

Her purpose was to tell Starfire that she's all nice and healed already, and that no single bone's gonna hurt the time she wakes up from the fall she got lately. There was nothing to worry, she's completely healed. But Raven hadn't alerted any of the Titans yet.

And Raven felt that some kind of fear is taking over her. This agitated her.

"Starfire, please, please, if you could hear me, answer me."

Minutes of silence. But this didn't stop her from trying again.

"Raven?"

Some voice called out on the black, empty space. Raven saw Starfire standing across her, but the distance between was great.

"Starfire! It's me."

"Friend Raven? What are you doing here?" Her question was a question of surprise, not annoyance.

"Waking you up." Raven tried hard to hide her relief, but she couldn't help it. Starfire was fine.

Well, at least, in Raven's knowledge.

"What is it?"

"I have healed you. Wake up, alright? Beast Boy kept bothering me to try to rouse you." This was not exactly true; she just sensed a strong something inside Beast Boy that says something like, 'What's the matter with Rae? Hasn't she patched her up yet? What a slowpoke.' And it was annoying.

"Um. Okay."

Raven turned around, smiling slightly, and got ready to leave her mind.

"Um. Raven?"

"What?"

"I…wish to thank you. For everything."

"Star." Even if Raven was far from her, Starfire felt her hand on her shoulder. "We're all in this together. And I promise, I won't let that Bird Boy do something stupid."

Starfire beamed. "Thank you."

Raven turned serious. "I'll wait for you outside."

Then she disappeared.

Starfire thought about her vision. What could it mean? All those poor people…the castle disintegrating…water taking over, and the drowning aliens. And that boy she helped up. He had…strangely spellbinding bright blue eyes, and he had jet black hair. She dug deeply, but she couldn't get a clear picture of that child. She sighed, and forgot about it.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw Raven beside her.

"Welcome back."

"Greetings."

"Okay." Raven started uncomfortably. "Why do I feel something weird?" She put her hand on Starfire's forehead, but she swatted it, agitated. Starfire, realizing her act, looked down and said through telepathy that she was sorry. Raven accepted it openly, but continued to asked depressing questions. "Are you sick or something?"

"N-no." Starfire stuttered. "Are the other Titans here?"

"They're outside." Raven stood up and got ready to leave. "Want me to call them?"

But Starfire said, "No!" She sat abruptly, which made her head hurt.

The empath raised an eyebrow. "You're acting…weird."

"...sorry. It was just...I don't want to talk to them yet..."

Raven instantly got to the point. "Are you keeping something from us?"

"N-no." Starfire told her, while she was toying with her fingers. She tried to hide it through her expression, but it was useless. With her friend's powers, she couldn't keep her secret now with Slade from the Titans no matter how much she doesn't want to.

"I'm an empath." Raven said matter-of-factly. "I can read your thoughts when I want to. But don't let me. So. Spill."

"Spill?" Starfire cocked her head in genuine confusion.

Raven was irked by this. "I'll rephrase. Tell me what you're hiding. I think you're keeping something. I _know_ you're keeping something."

Starfire knew very well that she couldn't hide this anymore. She had no choice. She has to tell. "I—"

As if on cue, the three male Titans entered the room. Raven slapped her forehead. Just when she got to squeeze some information from Starfire.

"Um. Sorry." Getting the gesture, Beast Boy backed off. "I guess we ruined the plan?"

The four of them were planning to get information from Starfire the friendliest way as possible, without any hints giving her that they were displeased of what had happened. It was Raven who formulated it, and she told the boys that she would go outside and tell them the secret once Starfire had told her, and definitely _not_ give them a cue that it was time to come in and question her. But, either way, she hadn't given them any signal.

Cyborg and Robin gave him death stares. If looks could kill, he's about dead by now. Robin seemed to say, only through that eye contact, "If you could just shut your mouth, the plan would go through as planned."

Starfire sat on one of the beds in the medical bay. "Plan?"

Beast Boy's ears slumped.

"It was nothing." Raven tried to play it off. "That grass-stained pinhead doesn't know what he's saying. So. What were you saying?"

Starfire looked from Raven to Beast Boy to Cyborg and to Robin. Then back to Raven. She sighed. Robin crossed his arms over his chest.

"So?" He was scary. "What was that fall about? What were you doing out there at three in the morning? What was that shout about? And _why_ were you lying on the ground, when you're supposedly lying in bed?"

_Plan is _definitely_ destroyed, _Raven thought.

Starfire seemed scared of him this way.

"Um...it was...I just had to go and-"

The Titans alarm system went red alert. Robin looked at Starfire. "We are going to do this later." Then he barked his notorious command. "Titans, go!"

* * *

Robin's look at Starfire was deadly. She winced, as she buried herself in the covers.

"We are going to do this later. Make sure you'll leave nothing out." Then he barked his notorious command. "Titans, go!"

Robin and his teammates ran over that cold linoleum floor. The dull surface was colored silver, and the footsteps of Robin grew louder as he approached the common room. The flashing lights, disturbing as they are, were ignored by the Titans as they focused on the current situation.

The sirens stopped as a figure appeared on the large monitor. It had a black and orange mask. Frightening eyes. Disgusting gesture.

It was Slade.

Starfire fell over shock. She gasped inaudibly and hid from his line of vision. But no matter how she doesn't want to think it, her secret would be revealed. And if not her, it would be Slade.

"Greetings, Titans."

"I thought you're...Terra blasted you to..." Beast Boy stammered as he pulled himself together. He pointed that crooked finger at Slade and continued, ever so bewildered by the fact dancing naked in front of him, "but you're...it can't...but you're DEAD!"

Raven's hand met with the Changeling's head with a 'slap'.

"But I am alive now, alive and running," Slade said, calm as you please.

"What are you doing here?" Robin grumbled.

"Aren't you going to say a small 'thank you' now?"

"For what?" Raven's eyes glowed poisonous white. "For your showing up of your filthy face that we all know has been dead already? Oh yeah. Thanks for showing up."

"Raven, Raven, Raven. I suppose that this is not the right time for showing off your ever so sarcastic usual self, now, is it?"

"What. Are you. Doing here?" Robin asked yet menacingly again.

Starfire remained quiet, but no one seemed to notice.

Slade didn't answer his question immediately. He smiled knowingly, which displeased the Boy Wonder. He doesn't want people making a fool of him. The antagonist looked at each of the Titans directly in the eye. Robin glared back. Beast Boy winced and hid behind the half-man. Cyborg had a menacing look. Raven's eyes were indifferent.

Starfire stayed the same.

He looked at her in silence for several seconds. She, in return, just kept looking at him darkly, wherein truly speaking, she was afraid that she would be grounded into several dressing-downs five minutes later. Slade felt conceited, and Robin sensed it in a lightning bolt.

"What do you want from her?"

"I...Robin, Slade is—"

She was interrupted by a malicious chuckle. "So you haven't told them our little secret?"

"Secret?" Four pairs of perplexed eyes stared at Starfire, who was nervous by being reprimanded in front of the ne'er-do-well by her teammates.

"What is it?" Robin demanded.

"It was...Slade...he—"

"Starfire. She doesn't seem to care about you at all, Robin. If she cares about you, then she should've told you about me. That's what you want, right? To taste genuine victory upon defeating me." Slade smiled inwardly. Robin's being overcome with emotion… "But it looks like she doesn't want you to know about me because she doesn't want you to be happy once you savor the sweet taste of success. But you didn't. It's been a long time. Definitely a concrete proof about her not caring about you."

Robin gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. "Stop talking."

Slade didn't bother to listen to him. "Your pretty fiancée over there _don't_ care about _you_."

He made sure that those last words sank in the very bottom of the Boy Wonder's center, never to be sucked out of it ever again.

"You." Starfire's dark eyes glowed venomous bright green. "Vicious." She flew high, until her eyes were level with Slade's on the monitor. "Vindictive clorbag! Do not interfere with our lives ever again!" Then Starfire blasted the giant plasma screen monitor, which serves as the males' video game and television display. It was smashed into tiny, sharp smithereens, the small shards of glass messing the ops room.

The monitor sparked and died. The image of Slade may be terminated, but Robin still felt his shadow lingering around the corner.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy ran over her. "What are you doing? That's our expensive...little...baby..." He broke apart and cried for the loss of their video game display unit.

"Ahhhh!" Cyborg lovingly held a piece of broken glass from the broken piece of technology. "It's impossible to repair..."

"I—I am so sorry friends. I didn't know what I was doing..."

Raven frowned. "Will you stop that?" She was talking to Beast Boy and Cyborg. "You're like idiots! Our _lives_ are at _stake_ with _Slade_ on our To Do lists, and all you care about is your _television_?"

"Raven's right." Robin said. "We need to get back to work. Cy, could you track down Slade's current location?"

"Dude!" Beast Boy was talking to Raven. "It's a _seventeen_-foot high plasma screen—"

"Robin. Slade...he's up to something." Cyborg had wary eyes. "If we're gonna do somethin', we've gotta do it fast."

"Very well. Titans, go!"

Robin waited until Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy got out. When Starfire attempted to come with them, Robin grasped her arm in an iron grip that made Starfire flinch.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He pressed in a voice that threatened Starfire.

"Consider yourself told! I was about to tell you…"

"Why didn't you tell me _earlier_?" He ignored her completely, putting emphasis on the last word. He tightened his grip on Starfire. "It could've been all finished by now!"

"Robin…please release me…"

"I won't. Answer me. Why did you keep it a secret? What if he'd done something to you and we don't suspect a thing?"

"Robin!" Starfire yelled. This wasn't the Robin she knew, so she doesn't care whether Robin got hurt in her next words. The Robin she knew won't hurt her like this. The Robin she knew knows that he has to take control of his feelings. The Robin she knew isn't obsessed with Slade. The Robin she knew understands her.

But this isn't Robin.

"Slade almost killed you! And you think I don't know that? You think _I_ don't know that? I am the one who has been targeted by our antagonist because he thinks I am vulnerable! No matter how I don't want to accept it, no matter how I don't want to say it, it is true! I just wanted to prove that...I could be something more than what all of you think! And you are one of them, Robin! I am not saying that I don't have gratitude for your saving me from danger tens of times, but just for you know, it is just like making me feel that I am weak! You are one of them, Robin! Now that I want to prove it…" Starfire was on the verge of crying, but she saved the tears for later.

"Starfire." Robin was angry. Slade is escaping farther away from his reach now by the minute. "I want you to stay here."

"Wh-what?" Starfire's tear-stained eyes looked pitiful.

Not knowing the damage it could do to his friend, he ignored Starfire's shocked face as he continued, "You left me no choice, so I'll be frank."

He doesn't want to say this, but he has to. For her sake. "It would be a burden for me if you come with us."

* * *

**Oh no. What's Robin DOING?**

**Author's Note: Yoo-hoo! I am baaaack! I am so happy to get to log on to FFN again. I mean, it's only five or four days or whatever, but I sure miss reading random Teen Titan fics. *fidgets because she thinks of what might the accreditation examinations results may be* Oh, that examination thingy? The test questions are DOWNRIGHT hard. I mean, what do you answer if the question says, "Solve and graph: absolute value of 1/3 y minus 1 plus negative 5/3 n is not greater than or equal to one" or something like: "Solve: 9a****4****b****5**** –27a****6****b****4**** + 45a****5****b****6**** | -9a****4****b****4**** (2x –1) + 4x****2**** (3x-2) | 2x****2****"? Well, I know it's just easy to solve, but what if your own mom wakes you up from your relaxing spring break and then tells you that you're gonna have an accreditation exam two days later, and your mind is boggled with facts that you couldn't keep up? Sheesh. I hate 'em sometimes.**

**But, stop about that. It's no biggy. *sweat drops* Oh, never mind. But I'll ask you: do you think I need to arrange my thoughts more…better? What tips could you give me? (in writing, obviously.)TNX!**

**Okay. Rating time!**

**Rubric System: (Use this same system for ratin' this chappie HONESTLY****. ****The eyes of the Lord are watching you.)**

**Question: Did I arrange the happenings of this chapter effectively?**

**A**** – Excellent**

**B**** – Proficient**

**C**** - Approaching****proficiency**

**D**** – Developing**

**E**** – Beginning**

**May I ask you a question? Right. What do you think is the height of the Titans' plasma screen TV?**

**And, what do you call that thingy in motorcycles and in every other vehicle that tells the amount of the remaining fuel? I decided it was a fuel-o-meter, but it obviously isn't.**

**Sub-note: A teaser? Oh, all RIGHT.**

The warning light came up, and in started the counting. It may be too late before…

_Three…_

A fast approaching bus came from the left side of the road. The driver was sleepy enough to ignore the fast riding motorcycle.

_Two…_

Robin looked to the left, and the bus won't stop chugging. It's only one second before…

_One._

**Oh no. What happens to Robin? Is he going to be hit by the bus? Only one way to find out!**

**Love,**

**T-K-O-G, THe-gIrL-WHo-WroTe-tEeN-tItANs-FaNfIcTIOn-StOrIes :))**


	6. Playing with Fire

**Author's Note: In accordance with the will of aylathetitan, **

**[with reference to her review: **

_**aylathetitan chapter 6 . Apr 29**_

_**AHHHH Robin you klorbag :( I hope Star kicks his butt**_**] **

**I give y'all this chapter as a grant to her wish. **

**You want someone—**_**anyone**_**—to kick Robin's butt for Starfire? Well, get excited, folks, 'cuz here's your picnic. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. Warner Brothers and the DC comics do. **

**Dedication: To my best ever girl friend, just-rubieblue! I love your ever so loyal self, and I like loyal people. Thanks for reviewing each of the chapters in the story! [But, to those who PM me, I'm sorry I don't get to reply very often. But expect that I will. Just saying. Okay. I'll shut up. *zips her psychobabble mouth*]**

* * *

Chapter Six

Playing with Fire

* * *

This person—he's definitely not Robin anymore. He's forgotten who he is, he has forgotten his purpose, he forgot what he is for the Titans. He's forgot what he is for Starfire.

"Robin, look at this!" Starfire's tears threatened to overflow. "What you're currently doing—is it rightful? You are being overcome by your obsession to Slade again!"

"You don't know anything about what I feel." Robin tightened his grip. It was seriously hurting Starfire's arm. "I am not controlled by Slade. I've demanded you already—give me your point. Why didn't you tell me earlier about this? How long have you been keeping this from us?"

"Ask yourself why I did not tell you immediately!" Starfire adopted Robin's tactic of getting in her nerves. Her feet slowly touched the ground. "Ask me why I did not tell you? Slade almost killed you! And you think I don't know that? You think _I_ don't know that? I was the one targeted by out antagonist because he thinks I am vulnerable! No matter how I don't want to accept it, no matter how I don't want to say it, it is true! I am not saying that I don't have gratitude for your saving me from danger tens of times, but just for you know, it is just like making me feel that I am weak! You are one of them, Robin! Now that I want to prove to you that I'm not…"

"Starfire…you don't need to prove anything, I…" Robin softened his voice as his grip slowly eased. Continuing, "That's not true, I…I am not…I don't look down on you. Why would you think such—"

"I will have to ask you something for I to be satisfied," Starfire challenged, doing her best to look grim and angry. Her voice shook with anger as she balled her fists, continuing, "Do you not trust my abilities?"

An awkward silence fell upon them, the sunlight spilled on the room darkening.

But then, a voice from outside called the Boy Wonder's name. It was Beast Boy.

"Dude! Is there any problem up there? You don't come, you don't come at all!"

Robin returned to the alien beside him.

"Starfire." Robin's anger immediately returned. Slade is escaping farther away from his reach now by the minute. "I want you to stay here."

"Wh-what?" Starfire's tear-stained eyes were pitiful. But Robin didn't take the gesture.

"Stay here. Wait for us until we come home." He prepared to walk away, but then her voice interrupted.

"Let me go, too!" She just couldn't understand why he needs to do this. She hasn't done something wrong to deserve this, did she?

His menacing eyes met hers. They were narrow and dark, threatening and forceful.

"You stay here. Where it's safe."

"But I want to—"

"Do what I say. Time's being wasted, so please excuse me."

As he took his first step outside, Starfire held his shoulder.

"Are you joking me? I will come with you."

Not knowing the damage it could do to his friend, he ignored Starfire's shocked face as he continued, "You left me no choice, so I'll be frank."

"It would be a burden for me if you come with us."

* * *

"Why?"

She punched the punching bag quite as hard as she could.

"Why would you do this?"

She picked up her speed as she felt the urge to burst into tears again.

"Why do I deserve to feel this way?"

She sliced the bricks used for obstacles in the training room.

"Am I all too weak, _rutha_, to become one of you earthlings?" she jumped high, and aimed a hit on the training dummy. "Am I not fit enough to be a Titan?" She continued her justification with a shout. "What have I ever done to offend you?" She hit the dummy with intense force, letting out all her emotions on one blow.

"I thought that I belong here."

She stepped one foot towards the punching bag she used lately, and kneeled to gather force.

"I thought that I always have belonged here, and now what you want me to do is to stay here, in the four corners of the room, sitting idly by while I watch you get in the danger?"

She suddenly jump high up, her foot aimed against the object of fixation.

"Living life meaningful is one of the things that I want to do."

She gave it one punch, and another, her blows almost flattening the bag.

"But now that you said that I am a burden for you, does this mean you are keeping this secret from me all along, not entirely being honest, with all the great compliments you have given me as a lie?"

Gaining speed, she let her emotions take over her and hit the bag harder, her superhuman strength being used up. Random hits and kicks made her exhausted, but she did not let that to stop her.

"It was like stepping on one of earth's chinaware fragile enough to be irreparable when it gets broken!"

With that, she growled as she shouted, marking a punch on the bag.

Gasping for air, Starfire made way for the oxygen to travel into her lungs. Looking at the mess, she didn't feel repentant for almost destroying Robin's training room. Smashed dummies, cracked training wooden crates, broken wooden floors, and the foam from inside the punching bag was oozing out.

In a quiet voice, she said, "The foot that stepped on the chinaware represents your harsh words, and the chinaware represents my feelings." Her eyes were filled with tears before she knew it. Concluding, she shouted at no one in particular, her Tamaranian warrior self working her soul, "For _once_, would you consider my feelings _first_ before you hit them?"

Tear-stained, she marched out of the room, losing capability of flight. She left her questions unanswered. She went to her room, and locked it in any possible way, not hesitating to putting in its override code.

* * *

"All of you." Robin started verbalizing his plan. "Obey my orders, and everything will be fine."

"Hey." Cyborg said over the intercom to communicate with Robin who was riding his R-cycle. "Where's Star?"

"Had better things to do than to come with us."

"Wait." Raven grabbed the intercom from Cyborg and hollered at Robin. "You didn't do something stupid, did you?"

"I didn't." His voice was steady and unfocused on the matter at hand, eyes hungry for Slade's defeat. "I'm not stupid to do something stupid."

"Yeah, dude!" Beast Boy held his head on his hands, now noticing the absence of a teammate. "Starfire—where's she?"

"I thought you left with her?" Cyborg asked.

"You." Raven's voice, ominous as it was, did not have an effect on Robin. She put the intercom in front of her mouth in an attempt to give it more effect. "You crazy-enough-to-do-something-stupid moronic idiot, what did you do?"

"You don't know what you're saying, Raven. I'm not a crazy-enough-to-do-something-stupid moronic idiot." _Well, kinda_. "Give me a break, will you?"

"No, I know what I'm talking about. You're the one who doesn't know what he's sayin'."

"You know what? I didn't know you're being so defensive of her. I mean, what's the big deal? One team member can't destroy everything."

"Well, it's about time you know that I'm on Starfire's side, and if you don't spill, I'll pick up a thousand blades of grass then stuck 'em in your mouth."

"Look, Starfire doesn't matter. We're going to have to defeat Slade. What do you choose, let the city lying in its ruins or let Starfire do what she wants to do? Leave her alone, will you? She's pathetic. Doesn't need to come with us. Now, will you cut it out?" He deadpanned. "But fine. Be with Starfire. All of you are useless." With that, he disconnected his connection from his teammates on the T-car.

Cyborg snatched the intercom from Raven. "Dude? DUDE?!" The intercom created this static sound and enraged Cyborg further. "Don't you even think of planning on taking Slade alone! Put this connection back on!"

"He doesn't hear you, moron." Raven retorted. "Don't mind that idiot. Continue driving. I'll do something important."

* * *

Robin bent a swift turn towards McArthur Street. Avenue fifty-fourth. Abandoned warehouse. He pulled up on the sidewalk and watched the people around run away to give him space. They took it as a hint that trouble was brewing.

Robin took off his helmet, and hopped off his motorbike. He stared at the building in front of him.

"_It would be a burden for me if you come with us."_

_Did that really come from me? _He thought in realization. The memory replayed, and his focus slowly shifted from the situation to Starfire. _Did I really say that? _Some instinct told him that this fight with Slade would be…remarkable. The bad gut feeling inside of him grew even larger as he took his first and second step on the doorstep of the building. He took his steps slowly, until he came up to the front door. Opening it with a furious kick, the old door was knocked down, dust flying all over.

He walked cautiously as he went deeper into the dark, assuming that Slade would be in the darkest corner of the room. He took in the environment. Glum. Scary. Dim. Wooden crates dumped in the place. Plastic pipes spread all over the floor. Rats running from one side to another.

His hands played with anticipation on his belt, deciding what to throw Slade first.

"I know you're here, Slade." He made his voice deep and intimidating, trying to scare the villain away. "Show yourself."

No reply.

He walked further. He scanned the room for moving shadows. Shredded curtains draped on the large windows disturbed his vision, but he kept looking. Nothing.

"No matter how you hide yourself, I know you're gonna show up in the end so I could kick your butt."

Malicious chuckle.

"Can't a man try to relax a little? You know, kid, you are pressuring yourself over things vastly unworthy of cognizance."

Behind him. Fast, moving dark shadow. Robin turned around. Nothing.

"Haven't you even tried of trying to be a man and fight like one?" Robin fired back.

"Well, well, well."

Robin took his stance, and brought out his bo-staff in case of a sudden appearance. He cautiously scanned the room for more signs of life, but nothing was there. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking…where are the Titans? Not to mention that pretty cutlet, the alien Starfire?"

Robin slightly shivered at the mention of her name. Slightly.

"Not your business. Say such thing again and I'll make sure you get better than being chased to the ends of hell."

"My, my. What harsh words to say." Bats took flight, and Robin gathered prudence. He looked at the direction of the flying mammals, and backed off as he saw a familiar shadow step into the dim sunlight. "You haven't even been able to tell where I was, and now you plan on destroying me? An ironic statement, we should see."

Robin growled. He aimed a kick on Slade, obtaining speed from his jump. But Slade avoided it with a mere step side wards.

The Boy Wonder landed with a smooth touchdown, his right knee meeting the ground. "What do you want?" He seethed, teeth gritted.

Slade remained calm and serene.

"You still haven't suspected? Aren't you a bit slow or something?"

"Suspected?" Robin cocked an eyebrow in question.

The madman walked slowly towards Robin, who then took caution. "After what happened lately, your fiancée still didn't tell you everything?"

"There's more?"

"There's a whole lot more." Laughing that maddening laugh, the Boy Wonder stood still at the realization. The villain circled Robin, who was ever alert of any sudden attacks. "You heard me. You. Starfire. All your friends." Slade leaned close to the hero's ear, making sure he got frightened of the idea. Slowly and surely, he continued, "They are all about to be destroyed."

"You monster!" Robin suddenly leaped at Slade, but he missed him as he quickly moved to his side. "You don't lay a finger on Starfire," he growled, rather menacingly, "or on anything else!"

"You know what?" Slade suddenly disappeared in the dark, but reappeared at the highest peak of the tower of wooden crates, walking as calm as you please. "I finally get it."

"Get what?" Staring at the villain, Robin thought it was best to leave now, and immediately get to go to the Tower…or…he feels something bad would happen…

Slade was enjoying it teasing him. But this isn't an erroneous kind of teasing. It is _true_. "You love her, don't you?"

"Don't waste your time thinking about that," Robin made sure he maintained his composure, "'cause I'm _not_ in love with her."

Slade knew very well that it was a lie.

"I can't believe the great hero Teen Titan leader Robin the Boy Wonder has a weakness."

"Shut up!"

Robin swiftly grabbed the grappling cables from his belt and swung until he reached Slade's former position. He made rapid kicks and took advantage of his free hands to take out his sword. He used the combo of birdirangs to fight back, all struggles being professionally avoided by Slade. Growling, he dashed at him, weapon on his hand, but Slade held the stick and used it to throw him to the ground. Robin let go of the staff, and instead landed with a touchdown. Fists clenched and jaw fixed, his sharp eyes met against Slade and raised his voice to a degree that is assumed to be his greatest.

"Lay a hand on her and I'll make sure you'll lay on the grave you dug for yourself!"

"My, my, Robin." Slade's hands were on his back, and he seemed to be not here looking for a fight. "So quick to violence."

"You hear that?" The Boy Wonder completely ignored his attacker's expressions, continuing with, "Because make sure you did. Or I'll make sure you beg me for mercy!"

Slade laughed it off. "If I were you, I'd rather…protect her." Shrugging off the warning, the villain slowly moved backwards to the direction of the dark. "Than to fool around and expose my cheap hair gel." Robin's eyes widened in realization. It was before Slade finished his last sentence before he dematerialized for good.

"Before it's too late."

Slade disappeared in sight, and Robin started to panic. But before he stepped out of the stockroom, Beast Boy's face came in the way.

"Robin! Dude!" Beast Boy's young and high-pitched voice filled the room. "Where's Slade?"

"He…doesn't matter anymore." He looked at one extended steel-toed boot, eyes filling with worry. _Slade told him that he'd better be off protecting her. Starfire is left alone in the Tower. So the possibilities are…_

"Are you okay?" Cyborg zeroed in on Robin. "Did something happen?"

"You guys. Return to the Tower." The Boy Wonder jumped and ran to his R-cycle, and put on his helmet before he gave final notes to the boys. "Where's Raven?"

"We don't know," they said in near unison in response. "No clues, no warnings."

"But, what's going on?" The Changeling scratched his neck in obvious confusion. "Am I the only one who's feeling left out—"

"Meet you at the Tower."

He left, and went as hyper as he could, pushing his motorbike to ride through the red-line, which he hoped was hyper enough. In a second, he disappeared from the line of vision of the two puzzled Titans.

"What the heck is going on?"

"Must be important." Cyborg opened the door of the T-car's main seat, and went inside. "Robin wouldn't go _that_ nuts. What are you waiting for, Green Butt? Hop on!"

* * *

"_It would be a burden for me if you come with us."_

Starfire. Left alone in the Tower. Slade's warning.

"_Before it's too late."_

His deep, stern words echoed around his head. He tried to focus on the road, but he wondered what Starfire could've felt when he said that. It was, after all, heartbreaking and indecent to say to someone like her, or on anyone else.

He wondered if she would ever understand him. He wondered if she would forgive him. He wondered if they would ever be the same again.

"_If I were you, I'd rather…protect her."_

"Starfire!" Robin reached the traffic, and beeped his horn, the cars in front of him disturbing his way. He drove through the narrow way in between cars, struggling to escape the traffic. He then, afterwards, led the travel, riding as fast as he could. But then, a green spotlight blinked the numbers. To his horror, they were going to be a disturbance in his way. S_even…six…five…four…_

Robin estimated the time before he crossed the intersection. Ten seconds.

"_It would be a burden for me if you come with us."_

Pushing the engine, he went faster, narrowing his eyes in focus. Starfire's life may be at stake if he hadn't crossed this traffic circle in time. He may have to wait for ninety seconds until the lights turn red. He decided he would cross this no matter what.

_Three…_

Starfire is left alone in the Tower. Slade told him that he should instead protect her than to 'expose [his] cheap hair gel' to him. The alien Titan had her feelings hurt before he left her there alone. Either the auburn-haired girl would resist any offers from Slade…

_Two…_

If what Robin currently suspects is right, then Starfire…there would be a chance that she would…_be blackmailed into_…

_One. _

Beeps from cars from the four side of the road could be heard. He was going too fast. Uh-oh. _If it gets the attention of the police, I'm busted_.

The yellow warning light came up, and in started the counting. It may be too late before…

_Three…_

A fast approaching bus came from the left side of the road. The driver was sleepy enough to ignore the fast riding motorcycle.

_Two…_

Robin looked to the left, and the bus won't stop chugging. It's only one second before…

_One._

It turned red, but Robin wasn't taking a pause.

* * *

The bus went fast, assumed that there was nothing on the way. Robin's eyes widened. He went faster. He had no choice, but to run faster. He looked at his fuel gage. Near empty. He has to stop, or get crushed by the bus. And the other choice was to keep it going, but he's not going make it on the Tower on time if he pushed the engine too far.

Determined as ever as he can be, he zeroed in on the road ahead of him. He heard the bus honk its loud horn at the sound of a speeding bike. The brakes of the bus were used, but not enough to stop it. Honking on the horn frantically, the bus driver kept shouting. "Hey, you! Go fast or you'll get mashed!"

Robin ignored it completely. Oblivious of the traffic noises around him, he made it just in time to escape from the bus.

He sighed, but nervousness returned quickly.

The fuel was almost drained!

"No," Robin said after seconds on the road. All that he needs is to see Starfire. Immediately. Slade's warning…

"_If I were you, I'd rather…protect her. Before it's too late."_

The R-cycle let out this sputtering noise. "No. No-no-no!"

Until it died. He placed the motor on the sidewalk, all hope losing.

But he heard a familiar voice escape from far behind him.

"Hey, yo!" It was Cyborg. "Need a lift?"

Robin looked behind him, and was overwhelmed. "Cyborg! Right here!"

He pulled the car up and let Robin in. "Could I just leave the R-cycle here and let me get it when we have the time?"

Beast Boy saluted. "Aye aye, captain."

Cyborg started riding towards the Tower.

"It looks like…Raven knew what she's talking about." The Boy Wonder smiled.

"Yup. She _deffo_ is." BB put his arms on the back of his head. "You _are_ a crazy-enough-to-do-something-stupid moronic idiot. You actually risked your life on that bus-thing? I mean, that's nasty, dude. But what's put that thorn eatin' worried eyes of yours? Did something happen?"

"Um…deffo?" Robin was utterly lost. But putting that aside, he said, "Anyways, I won't ask you if you crossed that intersection to chase after me—because you obviously did—but I'll explain along the way. Cyborg, speed up. "It was just this…" Robin sighed. "Slade's warning that alerted me…"

* * *

"Cyborg, give me the override code."

"No. Freaking. Way."

"Give me."

"I won't."

"You won't? Fine." Robin crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll smash Starfire's door either way without it."

"Oh, yeah? What's in it for me?"

"A safe Starfire."

"Dude." Cyborg's shoulders slumped in defeat. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm sure Starfire's safe and sound in her room, probably thinking about what you said earlier."

"Yeah, man. What if you got told the same thing?" Beast Boy joined in conversation. "Saying that you're told as a burden to someone? It hurts, dude. And it hurts a lot."

The three male Titans just have returned to the Tower. Robin had finished explaining everything to both of them; including Slade's warning and the reason he wanted Starfire to stay, though he decided to keep his suspicions to himself. Raven was still nowhere to be found, but Robin didn't care about her.

"The past doesn't matter." Robin put his head against the life-size glass window in the ops room which provided the Titans a view of the city, and he pushed both his clenched fists against it in a frustrated grunt. "Why can't someone in this room understand me?"

The door of the common room automatically opened, and in came an enraged Raven. She took in the scene: two dazed Titans, the green one gaping at her in surprise, and the robot one with his jaw dropped. From the furthest side of the room she saw Robin, and her face went a light shade of pink as she suddenly ran towards him, her tightened hand ready to kill. Lightning speed, she aimed a punch for Robin's jaw, taking the force from below going up. She stopped just in time to help keep Robin his pretty boy face, her fist below his chin. The Boy Wonder jumped back in surprise, eyes widening in shock.

Robin, who was sitting senselessly on floor, looked at Raven in shocked terror.

"Wha—?"

Beast Boy and Cyborg backed out a little, Raven's action sinking in.

"What did you do that for?" Robin spluttered.

"That's for Starfire, you sorry excuse for a boyfriend, because she's too nice to do it herself."

Pregnant silence.

"Hello, Rae?" Beast Boy gained the courage to walk in between the two Titans, while Cyborg's jaw slowly plummeted. "And what do you know about—"

"Mental note," Robin managed to say, "I'm _not_ anyone's boy—"

"You nudnik." Cyborg felt Raven feel better just by calling him that. "What did you do to Starfire?"

The Boy Wonder tried to get up, and he dusted the front of his shirt as he did. "Look, I didn't know she'd have a breakdown like this when I'd told her she'd be a burden for me if she—"

"So _that's_ why you left her here?" Raven's eyes were worried. "_Alone_?"

"What's with the emphasis on '_alone'_?" Robin raised an eyebrow in demand. _Does she know anything about Slade's…_

"The reason on why you told her on what you think is frank like telling her that she'd be a burden for you—even if she totally isn't—" Raven's eyes glowed white as she deadpanned, the appliances in the common room being currently destructed, "is way more important than the reason I put emphasis on 'alone', _blunder_."

"Um…" Beast Boy stepped a little away from Raven as he looked around him. Taking it all in,—the kitchen supplies floating and slightly breaking into pieces, the little shards of glass from the broken television hanging in mid-air as they were covered with dark energy, and the Tower walls slightly being crumpled, with Cybrog's jaw falling lower and lower—he said, "Raven…are you…"

"Ugh, Raven, couldn't you see?" The Boy Wonder reasoned out, stretching his arms toward Raven, as if it'd help her understand what he thinks. He didn't care about the Tower. Neither did he care about Raven or anyone else—he cared about Starfire. But the only way to make his teammates help him open her room is to explain his side on the other Titans, which is not going through as he thought it would. "You saw Slade, didn't you? You saw him look at Starfire that way just lately, didn't you? Or perhaps you don't remember?"

Raven only waved that off.

"Look, _airhead_, I don't care what you say, just—"

"_And_ you _did_ hear that there's this secret between them, didn't you?" He completely ignored her. "Which practically means was a _threat_ to her, which means her life is at _stake_, which means it's all _my_ fault, because I acted like a moronic _idiot_ from the first place and that I should've not made Starfire's hopes go up and that I should have been—"

"See? I told you I was right about your being a crazy-enough-to-do-something-stupid moronic idiot. Glad you _finally_ realized." That emphasis on the word _finally_ made Robin feel guilty. Only a little. "But _then_ you should've acted like a matured well-grown up _boy_ when you made the decision."

"Um." Cyborg managed to find his voice. "How can you top that?"

Robin, silent for a few seconds, slightly changed the point from then on with a "But seriously speaking, Raven," the hero was serious when he said he was serious, "What's with the emphasis on _alone_?"

_There's got to be something… a little information…Starfire's life may be at risk…_

"Nothing." The pale-skinned half-demon played it off. _Why did she suddenly feel… nervous?_ "But I'll ask you, why did you tell Star such thing? Did she do something to make you say that?"

"Alright, alright! Enough with the accusations please." Robin began to feel nervous too. It's almost as if…he feels some trouble brewing. And he feels strange about that Slade's warning, and Raven's facial expression was scaring him. "But if you were me, maybe you'd do the same thing…" He let his voice trail off. Raven wasn't listening.

"Like hurting the feelings of a friend with no known reasons?"

"I just…" Robin spluttered, "…wanted to make sure she's safe…"

"And you think she's safe here in the Tower _alone_?"

"There went that _alone_ again." Cyborg said.

"Argh!" Robin pointed a shaking finger at Raven. "You, how could you even mention the word _feelings_ in front of me, when you, you emotionless _goth_ doesn't even know how some person feels?"

Beast Boy took the courage to step up. "Shut…the hell up…" Robin stepped back a little. He took careful aim, as if expecting another punch after almost receiving one in a couple of minutes. The look on the Changeling's eyes was deadly. "She's _not_ emotionless, Bird Boy."

Pregnant silence.

Managing to find his voice, Robin lightly scratched the back of his neck as a sign of nervousness, but he wasn't about to give up from this argument.

Finding a new tactic, he continued, "I mean," he was talking to Raven, purposefully ignoring Beast Boy's death stare. "what proves your point?"

The floating figures around dropped, Raven's black energy decreasing as her emotions lessened.

Her eyes closed, she said, "Robin. I searched the whole Tower. She isn't here. She isn't anywhere. The only thing I haven't laid eyes on is Starfire's room. I know she must be in there, but I haven't felt any presence. It may be either she's blocking me, or she isn't there." Robin winced when she said that last part.

Seeing this, Raven supported, "But the second option must be ridiculous. I wanted to go in there by portal, but that would be too much of a private indecency."

"So," Beast Boy looked thoughtful, "so you're saying…"

"So I'm saying, she wouldn't listen to me." Raven barked, acting bossy. "And I bet she wouldn't to anyone else of us." She looked at the Boy Wonder. "But I'd bet she'd listen to Robin."

_Whoa_, the Changeling thought. That was Robin's job. And Cyborg's. And on occasion, Beast Boy's.

"Cyborg," Robin slightly smiled in triumph. "Override code."

"Y'all," Cyborg moaned. "I promised myself I ain't gettin' in the middle of anything over anyone, but you got your point." He smiled triumphantly back at Robin. "But in one condition."

"What?" Robin and Raven said in near unison. There was a short pause before…

"Give me a straight, valid reason on why I need to do this."

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, alright. Don't bite me. I really wanted Raven to continue her punch, I really do. But Robin wouldn't look so attractive in front of Starfire when he's got a black eye in there, which would ruin the entire story. **

**Do you get the point of this story? Was it clearly told? Do y'all get what Robin's been worried about? When I read this chapter…ahhh…it was so frustrating! I only loved the part when Slade was warning Robin. I hope y'all are catching up, and you can imagine the scenes in your mind the same way as I do. Are things happening fast? I think it is. **

**You guys. Tell me what you think about this chapter **_**honestly**_**. Please? I know you're keeping something from me. C'mon. Spill. Donya even worry about hurting my feelings. But if you can't talk too harsh, use this:**

**A – Excellent**

**B – Proficient**

**C – Approaching proficiency**

**D – Developing**

**E – Beginning**

**And, another question: Do you think Raven would really react like that?**

**Teaser:**

"That is not true…friends are not supposed to be that way…"

"But it is. It's true." Her companion smiled inwardly in success. "They aren't supposed to be hurting each other's feelings, are they?"

"I…" Starfire lost her guard, head pointing to the ground with eyes closed. "I guess not."

"But for Robin. He hurt your feelings, didn't he?"

"Yes." Starfire was speechless. "He did."

Starfire balled her fists, tightly closing her eyes to prevent her tears from pouring. Failing, small teardrops started marking the floor. "Maybe…I really _am_ a burden to him."

**Wait. Another remainder: I edited the fifth chapter, **_**Foreseeing the Impending II**_**, with reference to this review I've received [May 1, 2014]:**

_**AM chapter 6 . May 1, 2014**_

_**Hey TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL. I really like this story! To answer your question about the height of Titans' TV, I think that Cy is around 7 1/2 feet tall or something near that, and the TV is almost like 3 times his height if my old show-views are correct. So I think that it's around 20 ft. tall. Possibly 15. **_

_**Anyways, I can't wait for your next update so until then, Happy Writing! :D**_

**I want to thank him/her for taking the time to calculate it! I know, I know, it's just a little thing (no offense, AM. But I promise. You'll be in the credits.). But I appreciate it!**

**I'm just sayin'!**

**But wait. Another note for you, AM. When you typed my pen name in that review box in there, did you copy-paste it? Jus' wonderin'. Can't a girl just wonder about things around her once in a while? But if you don't feel like answering, don't. **

**Oh, yes. Another note. But this is the most important one, guys. Remember when you read this part in this chapter: **_Tear-stained, she marched out of the room, losing capability of flight. She left her questions unanswered. She went to her room, and locked it in any possible way, not hesitating to putting in its override code._ **The override code concept isn't mine****. IT ISN'T MINE, I repeat, it isn't MINE. I wish it was, but it isn't. That **_**override code concept**_** was from Kev. Kevlar Masquerade. So I'd like to thank her for giving me the permission to use it—HER FULL PERMISSION TO USE IT—and I just want to tell her that she'd be in the credits. (As if she's reading this.) I promise. Oh, to those who haven't read ANY of her stories, hey there, you are totally MISSING OUT on the greatest FFN RobStar fictions. Yup. Trust me. So leave this page first and go to hers and read every single one of her stories. They are DOWNRIGHT awesome. Never mind mine. I want y'all to read hers ****first****, to make it up to her. **

**Severely addicted to the Teen Titans, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL, T-G-W-W-T-T-F-S :) **

**(Wow. This is a ****lot**** easier than writing my original signature code.)**


	7. Apprentice

**Author's Note: Too tired to write a note. *yawns* **

**Dedication: To my two best friends. You know who you two are. Hi!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Apprentice

* * *

"_Give me a straight, valid reason on why I need to do this."_

"Hasn't anyone found her yet?"

Robin's voice was frail and worried. He rode on his motorcycle, shifting gears frantically as he turned to one side of the road. It should have been a nice night to be out, with the sun hanging low in the sky, the gradually extending shadows creeping to cover the ground, and the dim orange light enveloping the areas tranquilizing to the eyes.

But this isn't any time to be out.

"_A straight, valid reason, you ask?" Robin crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Go on, Raven. Give him what you've got."_

_Adopting Robin's competitive voice, she said, "Cyborg. Upon opening Starfire's room with your knowledge of the override code, we may assure ourselves of our beloved teammate's safety."_

_Beast Boy clapped his hands, opera style—one hand immobile and flat, while the other tapped on it classily. Raven's hand met his head immediately. She seemed to say, "This isn't any time to be stupid, schizophrenic moron." _

"Nothing yet." Cyborg replied, with the same voice that Robin used, only frazzled. Robin didn't seem to be tired at all, or he was just trying not to show it off. "With the sun still high up, I think searching outdoors at this time is a bad idea, if your intuition about Slade was—"

"I don't care." Robin really didn't. If he got Starfire in Slade's or any danger's hands again, he'd never be able to forgive himself. "She has got to be around the corner. We just have to find harder."

"_Well," Cyborg fired, "and why would you have qualms about our beloved teammate's safety?"_

"_I told you before, Cy." Robin seemed like he wanted to slap his face. "There's a chance she would just run away without leaving a clue, because of that dense thing I said—I know, don't scold me, I already got enough of it—and I know you clearly remember the time when she tried to leave when she thought that her sister of a crap was going to replace her, right? It happens when she's emotionally hurt."_

"_I know, I know." Cyborg raised his palms in protest. "But I told you. I'm sure she's safe and sound, and you needn't worry. Can't you give the poor girl some privacy? You just broke up with her and now you—"_

"_Cyborg, we did _not_ break up. There's no act of break up-ing, because there's no 'us' between us." Robin semi winced when he said that. "I mean, how can you be so sure? About her being safe, I mean."_

"_By studying Slade's warning," Beast Boy raised a finger, "it isn't far that she may get kidnapped by him or something."_

"Dude," Beast Boy protested, his Titan communicator in front of him, "We've been searching for seven hours now. I mean, I'm not saying that we should have a break or something, but—"

"Six hours," the Boy Wonder corrected. "Continuing searching. I'm positive she'll come around."

_Cyborg broke the ice by clearing his throat and turning serious. "Alright, you guys. If she gets angry at me for destroying her privacy, y'all take the blame, Boy Blunder. But what are you gonna tell her?"_

"_The truth is always the safest," he responded. "I don't know what to leave out yet, but I guess I'm gonna figure it out when I get there."_

_Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest. "It would be a total epic fail if you got a mental block or something."_

"_No." Robin's eyes were burning with determination. "Failure is not an option. I've got this whole thing under control."_

"Yeah, I know. She will. She'll show up. But do you think she _will_ in a time like this?" The Changeling's shoulders slumped, tired of his leader's whining. It's not that he doesn't care about Starfire's sudden disappearance, but logic would have to come first. "If your answer is yes, then we should've been there, done that."

_"Starfire?" Robin called, knocking on her door. "Starfire, are you in there?"_

_All three other Titans huddled behind him. _

"You don't want to do the search? Fine." Robin seethed, angry and mad enough to have the guts to say his next words. "Leave me alone. Who needs you anyway?"

Cyborg, who was currently riding by his T-car, had a pained face. Beast Boy was quiet. It was only when Raven spoke that broke the ice just in time before Robin disconnected his connection to the Titans—again.

"Blunder, don't pull the connection plug off." He wanted to raise protest, but thought better of it. "The green head's point is more logical than yours. If you're actually using your mind, you might have told us to have a little rest, just a little. But you didn't. Which means you haven't thought of it." Raven's voice was weak, weary of using her powers for a long period of time, without having her daily dose of meditation. "We've turned the town upside town for seven times, and my telekinesis are useless here. We're hurt by the news that I couldn't feel her presence—either she's far away or she's merely blocking my brain wave patterns-just as much as you are, but the truth is there."

Raven paused before continuing, "I can't detect her."

_"Starfire? Why aren't you answering?" The Changeling pretended to be hurt. "It's us, your friends."_

_No answer._

_"Look, Starfire..." Robin not-so-gently put his forehead against her door. "I know you're mad at me...but...you always know how I get when I'm angry."_

_Still no answer. _

"Listen to Raven, Rob," Cyborg advised. "My batteries are drainin'. Rae's magic doesn't work. Bee-Bee hadn't spotted a clue, and neither have you. We could continue the search anytime, but this one's isn't ideal."

Robin thought of it. They were all correct. He didn't want to give it up just yet, but he really could use a little rest.

They heard Robin sigh.

_"Li'l lady, you listen up," Cyborg pounded on her door. "Either you open this door or unless you don't want to take it the easy way, I'll use green butt's head as a batterin' ram to bring it down. Either way, we're coming in."_

_"Hey!" The Changeling protested quietly, nudging Cyborg playfully in the arm. _

He sighed again. "Beast Boy, have you reported it to the police?"

"I did, but they didn't listen." Beast Boy continued with a slightly angry voice saying, "Stupid rules says a person ain't legally missing if he-or-she hadn't been spotted until three days' time."

Robin frowned. "Don't they know who they're dealing with?"

"Asked 'em the same, but they laughed it off. It only made them more unconvinced. I mean, we're talking superheroes with superpowers here. So they got their point."

"Are you saying you're on the police's side?" Robin challenged.

"No. I'm just saying they got their point."

_"Star..."Raven shot the half-man a face before continuing in a soft voice. "…just...please give any sign you're in there..."_

"Fine," he barked. "Take your precious break."

All three Titans released a sigh of relief. But the relief quickly washed off as Raven asked, "And you?"

_Cyborg punched in the override code in the keypad, leaving him no choice. This triggered the door to hiss open obediently, and the four Titans abruptly stepped in. But to their astonishment, the room was empty. _

They waited for an answer. There was a short pause before…

"I'm returning to the Tower."

* * *

Robin was tired for seven hours of search. He was really worried about Starfire, yet he was feeling somewhat guilty with the note that the alien left for the Titans. But a part of him told him that the note was for him and him alone. He imagined Starfire's fingers writing the harsh words for him, but he couldn't.

Shifting his gears, he thought about the note that fell on his fingers when he entered Starfire's room along with the others.

_Robin gaped at the room, shocked at what he saw. Starfire was nowhere to be found in the Tower. _

_And she isn't in her room. This could get serious. _

_Beside her bedroom, he saw a note._

He narrowed his eyes on the road, the shadows around slightly growing bigger.

"_What's—" _

_It was a piece of paper with a note in it. The handwriting was curly and clear, more like the writing of someone bubbly, high-spirited, and someone cheerful. _

_Starfire's handwriting. _

Small amount of tears slightly shone behind Robin's masks. Either it was the slight sensitivities of his eyes to the sun, or of the feelings gradually overcoming his stern, cold side, he doesn't know.

_With curious eyes, he read it. It really was Starfire's handwriting. The thought was horrible, that it was really, genuinely Starfire's writing. Because what he read seemed as though it came from a totally different person, someone opposite of Starfire. _

_But the note is there. The harsh words are there. The feelings are there. And the note, Robin realized, was actually genuine. And it really came from her, no matter how much he didn't want to believe it. _

Robin looked at the direction of the Tower. The sun slightly covered the left side of it, the shadows on the right side lengthening. He shook his head, as if to get rid of the negative thoughts. He was going to find Starfire.

And he was determined to do so no matter what, whether the alien Titan would like it or not.

* * *

_Flashback…_

In a quiet voice, she said, "The foot that stepped on the chinaware represents your harsh words, and the chinaware represents my feelings." Her eyes were filled with tears before she knew it. Concluding, she shouted at no one in particular, her Tamaranian warrior self working her soul, "For _once_, would you consider my feelings _first_ before you hit them?"

Tear-stained, she marched out of the room, losing capability of flight. She left her questions unanswered. She went to her room, and locked it in any possible way, not hesitating to putting in its override code.

Starfire looked at the ceiling of her room, letting her tears overflow. She shook her head in disbelief of what Robin had told her.

"_It would be a burden for me if you come with us."_

"Would I really be a burden for you?"

She asked herself as she remained immobile, talking to no one in particular.

His voice kept reverberating in her head. How she wanted so badly for it to just…go away! She doesn't deserve to feel anything of this. She hadn't done anything to make feel Robin say such things to her. Saying that she's a burden for him…

"_It would be a burden for me if you come with us."_

Yes, she knows how Robin gets around Slade. She understands that perfectly. She remembers how Robin kept slamming the doors in her face when he's working on something that he thinks is important. She remembers the desire that Robin had to isolate himself from the team just to gain the trust of the villain, instead of just trusting the team itself. She knows how Robin wanted to get to Slade so much that he will risk the trust his friends that put in him.

Robin had shouted at her many times, yes; Robin had already scolded her with unacceptable reasons, yes; Robin had been strict and insensitive of her, yes—all because of his obsession of Slade.

But never would he hurt her feelings like this. Saying that she'd be a burden for him…

Scanning the room, Starfire flopped on her pink round bed, exhausted and hurt. She didn't really want to stay here and let her friends engage in danger, but she was feeling like she'd be useless in a battle, what with her confused and injured emotions.

Minutes of silence passed, each minute seemed like an hour. Her tears all used up, she sat on her bed, chin on her knees. Her teammates haven't returned yet. She wondered what they could be doing. Of course. Robin would be saying that he has to take Slade alone, and the others would only have to take down the obstacles that serve as a disturbance to him. Always as selfish as he is. It may be a mystery that Slade was still alive, but Robin didn't seem to care of the fact.

She got the pen and notebook resting on the small drawer beside her bed. She did not hesitate to start writing, until a small, familiar voice started going to her ears.

"Hey there, cutie."

Starfire immediately got up from her bed. She scanned the room, and she saw someone that was less likely expected to show up.

"Red X?" She asked, eyes widening. "What are you doing here?"

"Relax, cutie." He walked coquettishly towards her, and he held her chin up so that she was looking at him. "I was just in the neighborhood. Just tryin' to get some fun around here."

Eyes glowing with malice, she channeled her energy to her eyes and blasted him with her green beams. Red X tumbled, and he landed on Starfire bed. Aiming her powered fists on the enemy, she growled, "I believe it would not be so fun if I blast you clear out of the galaxy for ever coming within twenty feet of me."

He instead leaned toward her, his face only inches away from hers. Starfire was oblivious of this, she only continued to point her starbolt surrounded fists at him. "You can't really do that, can you?"

"I can," she snarled darkly.

"Ooooh." He purred, as he held some of her hair and brought it to his nose. Much to Starfire's chagrin, she gasped at the act. He continued speaking with, "You're growling like a tiger, Cupcake."

Starfire backed out. "My hair is not cupcake!"

X only laughed. "You know what? I think you're cute."

"I am not so adorable when you see me enraged!"

"Well," Red X smiled smugly, "cuter."

"Stop with the harassment, X," she commanded. "What is your purpose of coming here?"

He flopped on her bed, putting his arms on his back lazily, completely ignoring the threat. "Oh, I ain't harassing you. It's just the boilin' nerves talking." _Good grief._ "I dunno, I just thought it would be nice if you come with me."

"You did not necessarily answer my question completely," she said, fists glowing with fury. "What is your purpose of coming here?"

"Probably you thought I was jus' foolin' around? I was just watching ya."

"Speak of what you know," she barked.

"I ain't here for battle, cutie. I was just watching Robin confess to you. Pretty hurts, doesn't it?"

"Confess?" She didn't want to admit that what Robin had said was true.

"_It would be a burden for me if you come with us."_

"No, that is not true." She justified aloud.

"I'm not very sure at that." Red X replied. "I really do think you're a burden to him."

"No, I am not," Starfire finalized. "He was merely taken over by his emotions over Slade." Her starbolts weakened at the thought.

"Oh, but you are," Red X defended in all seriousness. "I mean, when was the last time he forgot about your feelings, anyway?"

"After our homecoming from Tokyo."

"Well, but that ain't connected with Slade, is it? Hah, you gotta admit," he smiled smugly, "it's the only time he told that to ya."

"Stop it." _Don't listen to him. Robin didn't mean to say it. Robin hadn't meant it when he said that I was a…burden…_ "You leave this room. This instant."

"You aren't throwing me out, are you?"

"You have the right to remain silent."

"Ah, ah, ah," Red X teased, waving that finger of his in disapproval. "The party isn't over yet."

"Who ever said that you were invited to what ever that party was?" Starfire pronounced the word _whatever_ separately.

"Wow." He whistled in slight admiration. "Since when did you actually learn how to speak _normally_?"

Starfire's expression looked hurt. _Normally?_ "I do not know what you speak of…"

"Guess you never knew from all this time, did you?" _Shoot. Three point shot_. "Your naïveté is just the start of the list of reasons on why you are a burden to them."

"List?"

"Oh yeah. There's more." Red X stood up from his bed, walking towards Starfire. But the alien moved backward when he did, taking careful aim. Getting the gesture, Red X stopped walking to her, and instead looked at her smugly.

"Your sensitivity to emotions." _Hah-hah_. "That means that you're a bother to them when you're confused or something."

"No one mentioned that to me…"

"Of course no one, sweetie." Pouting face. "Do you think they would want to hurt your feelings? They'd risk a beautiful lie than an ugly truth."

"That is not true…friends aren't supposed to be that way…"

"But it is." Red X smiled in success. _Mission almost accomplished…_ "They aren't supposed to be hurting each other's feelings, are they?"

"I…" Starfire lost her guard, head pointing to the ground with eyes closed. "I guess not."

"But Robin. He's different. He hurt your feelings, didn't he?"

"Yes." Starfire was speechless. "He did."

"So…aren't you gonna do something about it?"

Completely ignoring the question, Starfire balled her fists, tightly closing her eyes to prevent her tears from pouring. Failing, small teardrops started marking the floor. "Maybe…I really _am_ a burden to him."

"Yes. You are useless to them." Red X confirmed, and Starfire seemed to appreciate it than to fight from it. "Boy Blunder thinks you're rubbish. And I have proof."

Red X held out a piece of Titan communicator, with a wire connected on it. Robin's voice vibrated out of it, and it seemed like it was reheard several times.

"_Look, Starfire doesn't matter. We're going to have to defeat Slade. What do you choose, let the city lying in its ruins, or let Starfire do what she wants to do? Leave her alone, will you? She's pathetic. Doesn't need to come with us. Now, will you cut it out?" He deadpanned. _

The communicator made a static sound and the voice repeated its words.

"_Look, Starfire doesn't matter. We're going to have to defeat Slade. What do you choose, let the city lying in its ruins or let Starfire do what she wants to do? Leave her alone, will you? She's pathetic. Doesn't need to come with us. Now, will you cut it out?" _

Starfire's tear-stained eyes started to shine again. But she stopped it in time to transform them into determined ones, not anymore the usual bright and happy ones, but the warrior-like, threatening ones.

"I'll come with you," she said, her voice clearing and brash. "Where do you want us to go?"

* * *

Robin stirred in his seat with a cup of tea in his hands, specifically made by Raven for everyone else in the common room. Raven was meditating, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were simply resting. Robin, though he willed for his eyes to close in exhaustion, would not obey to his command.

Worried sick, he asked the Titans, breaking the unusual silence between them. "Do you think Starfire just…ran away? Not anything serious?"

Cyborg sighed, putting down his tea on the desk beside him. "For the seventh and last time, Robin. I'm sure she's safe."

But Raven argued. For the seventh time. "I'm not very sure…"Raven slightly opened one eye to look at them. "What with the note she left, and the stupid-ness Robin had done before her disappearance, we can't be sure that Slade hadn't laid hands on her, taking in the clues Blunder said."

_The note_, Robin thought. _Slade's warning. Star's sudden disappearance. Not to mention my tornado-stricken training room._ The whole memory replayed in his mind again, much to his irritation.

"Do you think it was Starfire who wrote it?" Beast Boy asked.

"That's what the computer says," Cyborg concluded. "Based on the molecular analysis of the paper, I've found that it has got some of Star's DNA fingerprints. But simply speaking, they're Star's handwriting. So it's got to be her."

"Robin, don't feel down," Raven warned. "Starfire probably wasn't her when she wrote that. And she wrote that just right after you told her she's a burden for you, even if she totally isn't, which means she probably hadn't meant it. "

The Boy Wonder wasn't convinced. "I deserve it. I deserved being yelled at and being told the truth that I'd seriously never get over with."

_Dearest_ _friends_, Starfire wrote.

"Not necessarily being yelled at," Raven told him.

"And not necessarily the truth." Beast Boy added. "I mean, from the use of her words, it obviously is someone opposite of Starfire."

_It is I, Starfire._

He was quiet for several minutes.

"Y'all," Robin moaned. He rose to leave. "Excuse me. I'm going to do some work."

_I have written this note purposefully for you, and not anyone else, my most cherished Titan friends, for the reason that I want to remind you of my safety, wherever I am gone._

Robin put his tiny teacup in the sink, and started washing away.

_But I want to tell you also that I have gone for an important purpose._

Robin walked towards the door of the common room, eyes distant and dull.

_I want you to let go of the curiosities giving you the urge to follow me for my whereabouts._

He uncertainly put in the door-opening sequence, and it obediently did.

_I wish for you, Robin, to partake in my will._

He walked through the gray, silent hallway; his footsteps are the only thing to be heard.

_It is either you listen to me, or you'll leave me frank. _

He walked still and steady, controlling the feelings of hurt overcoming him.

_However, right now, I assume that you will stalk me either way._

The Boy Wonder stood in front of the door of the investigation room. His shaking fingers reached for the keypad and got ready to punch in the code to enter it. But memories replaced his current will, gradually injuring his center. He never believed in her next words. He never believed he'd get told by such thing, presumably by Starfire herself. Starfire…could not possibly…

_I hate you. _

Punching in the code of the investigation room, he shook his head with haste. There had to be an explanation, some weird, twisted reason that she had written that. Hadn't it been a couple of days or three before that she had told him that she loved him? Hadn't it been in Tokyo where she was able to prove his love to him in a single, gentle kiss? Hadn't it been a few days before when she promised that there will be no one else that could replace his name in his heart?

But as he opened the room, he saw someone, someone unexpected, yet welcome. What did puzzle him, though, was that this someone…is…

Starfire.

She had her head bent down, and she was sitting on one of the three tables in the room. She looked on one extended orange-and-black boot, her hair covering her rather shadowed face. She was toying a small briefcase in one hand, and the free one curled thin strands of red hair. She had her eyes closed, and a small frown played on her lips.

The room was cold, the spirits being depleted as Robin gaped at the casual girl sitting playfully on his desk. She was wearing one of those armors with the signature colors of someone he hated the most. Strips of metals surrounded her limbs, and a black skirt was held up by an orange utility belt. The top she wore had orange on the right side, black on the right. The metal that surrounded her neck had an emblem, with an 'S' in it.

"Starfire?"

He started to tense. The girl didn't utter a word.

"Star?" Robin walked cautiously towards her, but not too cautiously as it would scare her away. "Star, what are you doing in that suit?"

She looked up, a frightened look in her eyes. "Robin, I am—"

"Refrain from talking to him," a voice commanded in her ear. "He's not your friend anymore."

The frightened look was swept away, immediately replaced by rage. But before she did, Robin saw her mouth a single word, that he thought was enough a sign for him to know what's happening.

"—sorry."

"Starfire?"

She nonchalantly stood up, and her eyes started glowing with malice. She aimed a weak starbolt at him, and threateningly looked at him with sharp, cold eyes.

"Starfire," Slade greedily commanded. "Take him."

She gingerly left the briefcase in the ground, and she started cracking her neck as she walked toward him. She aimed a punch, and Robin caught her arm defensively.

"Star, what are you doing? You aren't supposed to—"

Ignoring him completely, Starfire did a somersault to escape the grip. Her eyes steady and dark, she threw random punches and kicks, disregarding the fact that Robin was a human, not a punching bag.

Robin wasn't having a hard time avoiding them; he was having a hard time trying to avoid himself from fighting back at her. He tumbled on the ground, and Starfire walked towards him with outright evenness.

Starfire paused as Slade whispered something into her ear.

"Slade." Robin growled. "I should've known." He stood up, brushing off the dirt from his shirt. He stepped over Starfire and gripped her arm. He whispered tenderly into her ear, taking off one of the earphones that covered it.

"Starfire. Don't listen to Slade. He's only using you so he could—"

Starfire growled. She threw him overhead, and he hit the lights in the room that hung overhead. The power was immediately deactivated, and light drizzle came from the small shower outlets from above. The main power switch in the room sparked and died, and a small fire started crawling and was slowly spreading over.

"I need to listen to him, Robin."

He stood up from the fall and he easily regained his composure. "Need?"

"No talking, Starfire." A grim voice commanded. "Take him."

She took a chair from beside her and dashed at Robin, planning to hit him with it. Robin quickly grabbed a metal pipe from beside him and smashed the wooden appliance in pieces. The alien quickly gained her speed and he threw a punch on Robin, which she purposefully let it buried on the wall instead of his head. Robin let out a small inaudible squeak, but he likewise aimed a surprise attack for her, with his hands taking both of her arms, and pushed her against the wall.

"Starfire. You don't need Slade. You need _us_, your friends."

The auburn-haired girl couldn't bear the distance between them—they were only inches away from each other. Starfire's eyes were glowing bright green, but Robin wasn't afraid. He knew that she wasn't going such methods to hurt her. Unless…

"Break free, Starfire," commanded Slade.

"But—" she protested.

"Break free." He repeated.

Starfire snarled, and she shot her green beams as it sank into Robin's chest. He was thrown out of order. Tossed on the furthest side of the room, he struggled to get up, but he couldn't.

When he saw Starfire picking up the briefcase from the ground, he said, "Starfire, don't go anywhere! If it's all about the thing I said earlier…I can explain…"

"You are free to release your anger," directed Slade. "Now."

"You don't need to explain. I understand you very openly. I…" Starfire cleared to Robin. She fought back tears continuing, "I merely _am_ a burden for you. A burden for anyone else. Except for…"

"Starfire, wrong!" Robin hastened, his voice firm and consoling, as he quickly stood up. "That's just Slade talking!"

"It is not Slade talking." Starfire continued in a small voice, loud enough for Robin to hear, "It is my heart talking."

She shot a weak starbolt in his direction, which was avoided skillfully, but it hit the seven foot monitor behind him instead.

The door quickly opened, revealing the three curious Titans. Cyborg's mouth fell at the sight of his destroyed laboratory, while Beast Boy came up behind the two saying, "What's with the commotion up he—Star?"

Raven's black-energy filled hands fell to her sides. "Star…fire?"

"Dude!" Cyborg pointed a shaking finger at her. "Why are you in that utterly…ridiculous…outfit…"

"Starfire," Slade hurried, "get out of there. They're not your friends anymore."

Raven seemed like he heard it. "Star. Don't go anywhere else."

"We're not gonna hurt you," Beast Boy tamed, as if he was talking to an addict.

"If Slade's tellin' ya somethin' nasty about us," Cyborg added, walking cautiously after Starfire. "You know very well it ain't true. It's just the bad old baddie talkin'."

"Starfire." Robin had a more different purpose. His eyes fell on the laptop in her hands. He suspected that Slade was up to some forbidden information about them. "If you just hand over that briefcase and not go anywhere within Slade's range, I assume you that everything will be—"

"They all think you're a burden for them, Starfire. You don't need your friends anymore." Slade said. "'Cause they are not your friends."

Then, he added greedily, "All you need now is me."

Determination mixed with anger burned in her eyes. Andrenaline started rushing in her veins as she said, "I will not hand you this." She floated and reached for the nearest window. Before she stepped put, though, she looked at Robin intently for a few seconds before saying:

"I am sorry."

And then she left the room.

* * *

**Author's Note: Too tired to write a note still. I just couldn't understand it why I feel so down. *yawns yet again and eats pig meat* But tell you what**_**. I didn't pass the exam**_**. Now, I let my parents down. They hoped so much that I would pass it, but…it looks like I didn't. And because I didn't, they think this writing stuff disturbed my mind and drew me away from the academic world. Told ya, Dad.**

**And, look, I'm sorry if this chapter's not good. I kinda feel down today. I don't have enough Andrenaline. Just tell me its flaws, and remind me in your reviews or PM's. Because of this boredom, the thought that I wanted to quit writing this story crossed my mind, but I wasn't about to give up. **

**Just…pray that I wouldn't lose this spirit. I still have the spirit, but it's getting away. Gradually. It's because of this new story idea that crossed my mind…**

**No clues of what that story is. **

**Bye.**

**Oh, yes. No teaser. Sorry. :(**


	8. Devoid of Control

**WHO SAID THAT I'M **_**DISCONTINUING**_** MY PRECIOUS SWEETHEART, Peter Pan? **

**Author' Note: I'm really sorry this chapter got a little too long. And I mean long, as in lengthy—a little bit verbose. And I mean long, as in I've not posted for two **_**long**_** weeks. I have two reasons for my two-week FFN break: our internet connection was cut for a bit, and I had a writer's block. **

**But note, before reading: I enjoyed writing this. Especially the BBRae parts. WARNING, to all BBRae fans: this one's got a BBRae in it! I thought Raven's reaction was pretty cute…and BB was pretty charming about her, behind that jokey façade. Ooops! Why did I ever open my big mouth? NOW you know **_**why**_** this chapter was titled: **_**Devoid of Control**_**. But I hope you'll like it, though…**

**And, beware: this chapter isn't much. It's more like…a one-shot or whatever you call that thing where you only write when you got a small, cute idea. And, I know, I know, you don't deserve to read a small cute idea, you deserve a real chapter—the one that's full of useful info for the story itself. But as I told you, I had a writer's block—just give me time to adjust to have it full recovered. **

Chapter Eight

Devoid of Control

Robin couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe she'd be actually doing this. Starfire herself _don't_ believe she's doing this. Forsaking her friends is… just too much. But as much as she wanted, she never really wanted to do this to them. She never, in a million years, would try and intend to hurt and cause anxiety to Robin, not in her own will and power. She knew how much her leader cherished his laptop, his possession that kept all information about…well, she doesn't know. About villains, or the Titans, perhaps? No, he always kept that in Titans computer library, or the main computer in the investigatory and ops room. She doesn't know why, but when Slade commanded her to take one of Robin's most valued possessions, the first thing that came into her mind was his laptop. She could've thought that she could take his briefcase, but it was now shut in a cryptogram encoded safe.

The Boy Wonder was shocked, confused, distrusting, mad, and menacing enough to kill, but oblivious to the fact that Starfire was acting like she didn't know them, courtesy of Slade's brainwashing activity. Not to mention heartbroken and pained, unbelieving his best friend's act of shooting him with a starbolt. This mixing of emotions was making it hard to concentrate, feeling all these at the very same time.

So _this_ was what she was keeping from them all this time.

He doesn't know, but…was he actually hurt of the point that Starfire…didn't seem to trust them enough for this?

Although Beast Boy suggested that he should be somewhat relieved that the proof of Starfire not writing that note is currently dancing naked in front of him, he still felt the hurt and pain burning inside of him against the old, evil villain.

But no. There wasn't such anger that boiled in his nerves on the fact that Slade was using his friend to manipulate him. The villain must know what he was doing, targeting the Boy Wonder on the worst weakness he's got, the most tender and hidden feelings, the richest of his memories stored in the deepest part of his heart.

They'd see the outline of his _Flying_ _Graysons_ costume. Several old journal entries. E-mails concerning missions between his old acquaintances. Mainly Bruce Wayne, Gotham's legendary Batman. Old circus stunt materials. Some restored worn-out yet recognizable photos. All kept in that one, specific piece of an old model portable computer.

They'd know he was—

"Titans," Robin whispered in a voice that was hardly audible, shaking his head and scolding himself for getting lost in his thoughts. Everything moved in a slow motion, seeing Starfire's eyes brimming with mixed determination and hate. Her hand clutched on the briefcase, it was evident that Andrenaline started rushing in her veins.

"I will not hand you this."

Robin would not move. He couldn't breathe. He was really starting to think that he had waked up in the middle of a nightmare.

Slowly, it seemed, she floated and reached for the nearest window. Seconds seemed like minutes, he watched her mouth the words, _'I am sorry'_, and floated out of reach.

The place started to darken, nimbus clouds approaching to warn them of an extreme weather condition.

With one last look on her…that orange-and-black-outfit…the signature colors of his worst enemy put on Starfire made him want to rip it out of the alien princess, and crumple the metal parts into shreds. It made him want to strangle that felon for doing some unacceptable things in her mind that caused her change of purpose. He was aware of the fact that he'd worn the 'S' symbol times several, and he even chose to serve the baddie just to get more information about his villainy.

Back then, he believed that he had to sacrifice the trust of his friends to stop the anti-hero for whatever tricks and plans he's got under his filthy sleeve, but he had learned the lesson to put his family first before anything else. Sure, the town may be in the verge of dying, but matters only got worse with this method he took to take the scoundrel to defeat. And the second time he showed his obsession to Slade, well, it was different. He was blackmailed, and he was also left to no choice, but to obey to his command, even if it means isolating himself from the team and having their feelings hurt.

Raven saw her leader's detective 'Bigbrain' wheels—as Beast Boy called it—turn behind those masked eyes wildly and fast. She knew how he felt, and his mixed emotions felt like razor blades gathered inside, with the same feelings of anguish behind his expression.

Robin felt the same anguish as to that time his parents were…

_Two shadowed figures falling…_

_Screams and falling…_

_He tried to come to their rescue, but the spotlight blinded him…_

"_We tried, kid. But there's nothing you could do for them."_

_The way his companion said it, he felt as though…_

"_I—I'm…so sorry, Ri—"_

His face reddened with anger and disbelief, obscuring and blurring. And now Slade was using Starfire to get to him? He couldn't forgive himself. Not this time. Not when he got her into danger—again. _I should've thought this through first. It is all my fault_.

"Robin," Raven warned in a sort of painful voice, evidence that she'd been reading his mind for the past fifteen seconds. "This isn't the time to dwindle away." His carnival issues maybe unrevealed to his teammates, quick flashes of memory darkening his expression and piercing the empath's core, Raven feeling the pain that she thought no human being could ever have the heart to possess.

She couldn't let his emotions take over him. It was just...too much to bear.

The razor blades tore free, launched to the look of hate he aimed at Slade.

"Titans," he snarled, ready to fire. Time seemed to be in his favor, and he signaled, "Go!"

The team had been waiting for this. They jumped out of the window in an attempt to stop the lady. Lightning flashed and thunders roared, the approaching dark, heavy clouds threatening to pour down hefty raindrops and flood the land in any minute, any second. The sun seemed so far away, when minutes later, it was spread orange sunlight onto the Jump's earthen terrains.

The auburn-haired alien jumped from roof-to-roof of the buildings of Jump City. She looked behind her, panting, and saw her friends chasing after her. Not good. She'd promised Slade that she wouldn't catch any attention before she came to their hideout.

Hideout...she sighed at the thought. The reason she'd approved to Slade to agree to his plan...she didn't even believe it that she had come with Red X in the first place. She found out about Red X's real purpose of bribing her to come with him, and that was to bring her in front of Slade. It was just that dirty message that she heard from X that bothered her...she can't believe that Robin would actually say something so rude about her.

"_Look, Starfire doesn't matter. We're going to have to defeat Slade. What do you choose, let the city lying in its ruins or let Starfire do what she wants to do? Leave her alone, will you? She's pathetic. Doesn't need to come with us. Now, will you cut it out?" _

Rain started to pour and drown the area. But Robin didn't' care.

She shook her head as she erased the thought. When she heard him saying that, though, she felt as though she had lost all desire to be with him. But part of her insisted that he hadn't meant it, and she knew him well enough that with Slade on the task, Robin didn't know what he was saying. But Red X said that...

"_Friends aren't supposed to be hurting each other's feelings, are they?"_

"I need to lose them," Starfire heard herself say loudly. She looked back, and saw Robin leading the way to catch up with her. But she was flying, and she could lose them easily. Starfire saw his lips moving as if he was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear him—his voice was drowned by the noise of the rain. She was assumed that they were telling for her to stop, but she didn't.

She only flew faster, and went higher up the sky. She could escape the storm. Fly like an eagle. That's what eagles are born for, right? The king of the skies. Fly mightily and avoid any storm that comes in the path. That's how Robin described the eagles one day…

Another flash of lightning shot, just above her, but quickly avoided it, faster than light. She blew a sigh of relief, but nervousness completely washed it away.

No. She couldn't fly above the storm. Too dangerous. She'd just attract the electricity from the clouds, what with the strong metal conductors she's wearing from her outfit.

Grunting in frustration, she flew below the buildings, aiming to lose the Titans. With Cyborg's technology and Raven's telepathy, it wouldn't be hard to locate her, because she was just within the city. It wasn't like she was going to be hard to find—but it was worth a try. Descending into the dark shadows providing her a lot of hiding spaces, she purposefully ran the opposite way she'd agreed to meet Slade. She would just head to the rail transit station when no signs of presence bothered her. Right. The most perfect plan.

She didn't run—she couldn't. She would just attract attention to herself, and the Titans would find her easily. She settled behind a garbage bin, and tried her best to stay furtive.

She heard the Titans settle down on the floors of Jump. Hiding behind the darkest building built in town, she eavesdropped in their conversation.

Robin knew she'd be doing this. Hiding somewhere and wait till they were gone from her line of vision, audibility and instinct. It was a trick taken from an old book. He could find her easily—it would be logical—but thinking in practicality, it won't work. Sure, it wasn't right to give up, but be Raven for some times. Slade was the one keeping her, probably the master of all stealth and schemers. Even if all the Titans were here with their superpowers, he probably won't take the risk to fight them, but would just disappear in the darkness. Rain started pouring down; the sound of it beating against the iron roof of the buildings and surfaces was irritating.

Traffic got heavy. People kept shouting here and there, it was impossible for Raven, or anyone else, really, to think at the time, with all the noises drowning their consciousness.

No. Probably he doesn't need to let go of her. Not this time. He won't be able to look at himself in the mirror again if he didn't even try to save her from this…thing. He knew Slade would do this, make an apprentice of someone that he'd be willing to die for. Darn, darn, darn. Why didn't he share his suspicions to anyone in the group so that Starfire would at _least_ be herself?

Cyborg approached as if he read his thoughts about letting her go. His heavy, half-electronic hand cold with molybdenum metal but warm with affection landed on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Rob. She'll come around. Let's go." He expected Robin to argue with it first, but it was just part of the game.

He doubted it. Sure, she'll come around, but that will take a whole long a time, now that she's an apprentice of Slade. It was not as if he was looking at himself higher than his teammates, but Starfire probably won't be able to fight against Slade, especially now he knows that she has feelings for him. Oh, no, Slade was probably brainwashing Starfire with disturbing thoughts such as, 'I will destroy your friends,' or 'Robin would never see the light of day again, unless you abide my command.' It was a common trait among villains; they manipulate the friends of their enemies to get to them. Starfire probably won't even plan for an escape, or plan to destroy the scoundrel—she doesn't even know how to look into the future!

Starfire as an apprentice of Slade…the fact annoyed him. It annoyed him as much as how much Cyborg and Beast Boy annoy him when they fight for what breakfast they had to eat—tofu or meat. He now knew the feeling of being abandoned and forgotten. It hurt him. And he didn't like it.

He sighed, a sad sigh escaping his mouth. But he remained alert, though it seemed like he was giving up momentarily from the work. He told the Titans: "Star's just around, I'm sure,"—Cyborg guessed that he would say that they get back to work—"but we can't do a search at this time." Cyborg's jaw dropped, but pulled it up back in time so anyone wouldn't notice. "Speaking of time, you know Slade." Another sigh. "And Starfire's with him. They'd appear to us, and they both plan on destroying us. Temporarily, for Starfire,"—he held his breath for a second, and his voice spilled in a rush—"treat her like a villain."

Silence. Cold, bitter silence.

"Could I say," Raven said, although hardly audibly, "_unthinkable_?"

"But she attacked us." He reasoned, closing his eyes as his head faced the ground as if he was in pain. But he was. She was speaking against someone who… "She's serving Slade now. Whatever they've got, it sure is against us."

"But of course, before anything else, we must study this thing through," Cyborg suggested. He started the discussion with "Why do you think she'd be acting like this?"

Robin knew the answer, but kept his head to the ground. "Nanobots."

"Nano-what-what?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I thought those nasty little doodads were destroyed already?"

Raven read Robin's thoughts. "A little research could do it. I suppose this is a retreat," she said slowly. "Right?"

She guessed correctly. Robin took one last scan at the place, as if he would find Starfire smiling at them and saying that she made a funny joke about making a chase with them. But only rain. Dark buildings. Approaching storms. Lots of cars. And lots more people, accompanied with lots more noises.

"In a situation like this," Robin's voice seemed hopeless, "it's impossible to locate someone with dark clothes wanting to get away with us. It will only cause us more trouble, and the people around might get harmed. Especially with all these…these…" he searched his mind for the right word, but, nothing. His brain's dictionary went AWOL.

"Thingamahoozits," Beast Boy filled in, nodding, when he noticed that his leader was having trouble in his words.

"Right," Raven lashed out, rolling her eyes. "_Thingamahoozits_."

She _can't_ believe she'd actually be saying something so stupid that came from a guy that acts in a way that said, 'Look at me! I'm an idiot!'

Beast Boy, on the other hand, _don't_ believe Raven, an 'I'm-Allergic-to-Stupid-People' person, would be saying something so stupid—he admits he's stupid—that actually came directly from his mouth that once said, 'I don't have opposable thumbs!' But he remained silent for the sake of the team. And Robin, for the tofu lord's sake.

"Titans," said leader sighed in defeat, letting go of the burden, yet these troubles kept on clinging on him. "Retreat."

That was Starfire's cue. She watched as Raven started channeling a portal. She looked briefly at the carved 'S' symbol placed on the metal which bounded her lower arm, placed near the wrist.

Guilt-stricken. She bit her lower lip, refraining herself from speaking up and letting the team hear her voice. She closed her eyes as if she was in pain, wherein fact, she was. It pained her to see this. Seeing that she'd invited the reckmas between her and her friends herself. She wanted to forget all about this nonsense. _No, it is not nonsense_, she scolded herself briefly. She was doing this for a purpose. A purpose not for herself, not for Slade, not for the town even. Part of her had a strong desire to leave this apprenticeship, and just have her friends with her side. But she simply cannot do that.

She pulled out her Titan communicator. She wondered why they stopped searching for her? Maybe because of the rain? Well, she probably will never know. She bent down and left the small interactive device on the floor. She stole one last look behind, and saw Raven pulling up the portal, and they all got inside then teleported, presumably to return to the Titans tower.

Starfire's eyes were filled with disbelief, not wanting to admit to herself that she had just forsaken her friends. Tears filled them too, but they hung there like crystals and shone in the dim light of dusk.

She glanced at the direction of the Tower. She couldn't believe she'd gotten this far. Far away from her home.

She shook her head and the tears fell over her cheeks, but she wiped them aggressively with her left hand. She stopped musing, Robin's soul of toughness and determination descending upon her like a tongue of fire, overcoming her loving and considerate one. It showed as it burned in her eyes, flying to the direction of her appointment with Slade, the briefcase in one hand.

She had some mission to do.

"I still can't believe Star's gone nuts about Slade," Beast Boy exclaimed for the third time they got into the investigation room, the interactive white board blank with white light. It was by so far the brightest illumination in the room. Ever since they came in, no one bothered to open the lights. They were too busy taking this all in. "And _I've_ been feeling nuts about y'all. I think it's time for another one of those drives Cy and I took last time and have the _awesomest_ night ever."

Raven's hand immediately met the back of Beast Boy's head, by conditional reflex. "We're stuck _dab_ in a _middle_ of a _devil's_ sanctuary, and you wanna go _sightseeing_?" Then she turned serious, speaking to Robin. "Say, are you sure that homecoming from Tokyo wasn't jinxing us?"

"Yeah," the Changeling agreed. "First, a Thought of the Century comes through your head that instructed you to break up and hurt Star in every way possible, an Icy-freak from an alien navy that turned out to be Star's mysterious cousin and demands us to bring her forth the Zacha-hubbaluba court, and a brainwashing resurrected-from-the-dead villainous madman that's put nanobots into our bodies and blackmails our Starfire into doing his commands."

Cyborg took advantage of his friend's pause to take some air to inhale, and spoke. "What next? A nudist retreat of a bunch of zombies from Wicked Scary eating apples while they're emptying the bowels across the street and a pet chicken giving birth to a mutant moth larva?" He referred to Silkie.

"And how about a hoppin' pet rabbit as a sister for the bock-bock-bockety chicken?" Beast Boy piped up.

Raven recalled this scene from a middle-aged movie—she couldn't remember the title, of course—wherein an unconcerned goat named Stacey nibbled away the breeding nest of the chickens just right after its owner took her inside her barn. The chicken approached, cocked its head to the side, and realized that the nest was gradually 'disappearing'. It fought for it, and moved around like it was about to give the goat a Bruce Lee kick right its groin, but it didn't have the chance. The goat merely bleated at it, and an egg accidentally fell out of the crotch accidentally, and ran away in fright. The goat settled down for an afternoon nap, and burped before dozing to sleep.

The idea made a snicker escape from Raven, slightly quietly, but loud enough for the Titans to hear. Robin's eyes went wide, and looked over her, and the empathy just made a dismissive shrug that said, 'Get back to work, will ya?' and obediently obliged, returning to his computer, analyzing the situation at hand, and also weighing out the consequences that might happen in doing a move against this matter. When Robin's in Slade-Mode, nothing could disturb him and come in his way.

One small move might make everything worse.

Haplessly, for Raven, the two 'laughing baddies' turned to her wide-eyed, they didn't even notice her make the dismissive hand movement that was purposefully aimed for the three of them males.

"Um. Beast Boy?" Cyborg waved that mechanical hand of his in front of a pale-faced half-demon. "Is that you? Oh no. You're possessed."

"I'm not dead, you psychobabble gas-powered idiot." She swatted the hand away, but the duo didn't give up picking on her. Sure, they were Teen Titans with a mission to do, but they were still human beings who needed some distraction just for a while. And besides, sulking around won't do anything. They could use a laugh right about now.

"Um. Did my ears serve me right?" The Changeling made a mock frown. "'Cause I thought I heard a snicker, well…" he tapped his finger with his chin, in mock seriousness, "right about…here." He pointed at Raven.

"No I didn't," she denied, looking away.

"Oh no, you don't!" Cyborg said in mock anger. He stepped forward, and faced Raven. "Beast Boy here makes a joke, and you _snicker_? Oy. We need to investigate this. Stat."

Beast Boy controlled the giggles stuck in his throat.

"No, really." Raven said, business-like, trying her best to look grim and serious. She knew she couldn't escape from this—she was trapped—but no way was she ever going to admit defeat. "I didn't."

"But I swear—you really did." Beast Boy said, his voice copying the empath's tone. Then he raised it, crowd-level, and pretended to hold a microphone just below his jaw. "A pet rabbit for a chicken! A pet rabbit for a chicken!"

Robin shot him 'Bat-Glares' for disturbing him in his work, but Beast Boy ignored them. He knew _exactly_ where this _mad_ laughing fit would go to.

It would certainly go to a _madder_ laughing fit.

"Alert FBI and UPI!" he dragged on, dancing a little devilish chicken dance. "No-people-allowed 'Bookworm' dark 'unbridled joy is not really my thing' lady Raven of Azarath encountered snickering at a joke made by a changeling green-monkey-bitten human featuring a chicken and a rabbit, with, uh…"

Beast Boy was in a 'hoppin' good mood', as Cyborg would say it. He trailed off as a light bulb turned on above his head. He scanned her outfit, as well as her monotonous face. She looked like a corpse who stepped right out of a coffin with her angry looks directed at the Changeling. "With amazing joy-killer fists and expertly knitted detailed eyebrows along with a…" he took in her frown, deep as the Pacific, "um…an upside-down ultimate smile, a perfectly shaped concave-U."

Robin groaned, and started typing furiously.

Raven's frown got even deeper.

Cyborg had an 'uh-oh' face, his smile turning into fear. They all knew very well what an experience with an angry Raven went. It was _not_ an awesome experience.

But the Changeling had more than enough experience to serve as the team's icebreaker. He patched it up with, "Dressed in a to-die-for coat uniquely shaded a beautiful dark blue-violet, hair real cute with bangy bangs, coupled with sparkling soulful purple eyes."

_Uh-oh_, he thought. Where did those come from? _Why have I ever opened my big mouth?_

Okay. So, that wasn't much of an icebreaker.

_Righto_, he thought. Maybe he didn't _exactly_ know where this mad laughing fit was going to.

Why was his heart beating fast? Was he suddenly nervous?

Maybe he was nervous for Raven's angry reaction. She really didn't like it when someone described her about her fashion statements.

Or not.

It was an unusual occurrence.

Cyborg flashed a smile of slight admiration with his jaw slightly reaching the floor—only slightly—toward Beast Boy, and realized how good this flirting moment turned out to be. Cyborg then winked at him—and to his horror, the Changeling read his mind. What an icebreaker that one was.

Flirting? He was _flirting_.

Raven's face turned a bright shade of pink. He had called her eyes 'soulful'. Soulful, which means 'expressive'. Expressive, which means 'affecting', which means poignant', which means …

Emotional. He had called her _emotional_. Opposite to what people had thought of her.

He hadn't called her emotionless. He had called her _emotional_.

So people weren't bad after all. At least, someone knew how she …

But then again, he might be joking.

_Well, he had to be_, she thought, erasing the growing tension inside of her. _He had to be…he's just patronizing me…he is just making a joke…of _course_ someone like the green idiot wouldn't be calling me emotional…he's too free-spirited, and…I… NO, _she scolded herself, thinking that she had to arrange her thoughts before any explosions happened. _He's just making a joke. That's right. A joke. So don't make a big deal out of—_

The door behind Raven was suddenly shattered, the source of fission reaction brimming with black energy.

"Raven?" Robin wheeled his chair, and looked blankly at the woman.

_Oh no. This is bad. This is very, _very_ bad. This is _so_ bad. _

Her face reddened, and felt her heart beating fast.

"Um." She backed out, but then she bumped against a chair, and she touched the brim of it for support. "I need to get something in my room for—"

The chair was blasted into pieces.

"Uh, Rae?" Beast Boy was alarmed instead of jokey. "Are you alright?"

His green, gentle eyes only set her heart fluttering.

"Um. Yes," she confirmed in awkward steadiness. "No need to follow me. Now shoo." She waved a hand at him. Her face got redder, and she couldn't control it. It was too much emotion to take in…

Beast Boy stepped forward, and offered a hand out to touch her shoulder." A-are you su—"

"I am sure! Don't touch me!" she whacked the hand a little bit too hardly and left a mark. Beast Boy seemed hurt, though. But Raven kept hollering, which only concerned him further. "I'm fine!"

The three male Titans were left staring at empty space when she disappeared to her room.

_Darn that pet rabbit for a chicken_, the green-man thought.

Awkward silence filled the room—only the sound of Robin typing against his keyboard nailed it. "Uh." Cyborg was talking to Beast Boy, who still didn't recover from Raven's fit. "Dude, man, are you okay?"

Beast Boy shook his head, and forgot about Raven's peculiar reaction. He knew that Raven only blows things around her when she gives in to her feelings.

But he had no clue that the feelings were on him.

"I don't understand," he said, trying to be light, and inwardly shaking his thoughts before he got too far. To break an ice, you need to shift it to a safe topic. "Why would Starfire ever listen to Slade?"

Or not. Slade wasn't really a safe topic. But anything—_anything_—to draw the attention from him and Raven.

"BB's right, dude man," Cyborg agreed, and went on. He knew how BB reacted to things like this—he would change the topic before they got into a real discussion, but that just served as a clue that maybe Beast Boy has…feelings for Raven?—so he decided he would just play along. "BB's right. Why would Star listen to Slade?" he repeated. "And I want a valid enough reason to support it."

"I…" Robin stopped typing, and exhaustedly leaned his back on the chair. "I can't think of a valid enough reason."

Frustration and worry must've shown in his voice, since the half-man replied, "Don't worry, man. But what about your nanobots theory?" He had been wondering about this since he mentioned it to the team. But he did not get the chance to ask him emphasize it. "Are you saying those gizmos are still within us?"

"I don't know about you, but…" another sigh. "I think Slade's put some in mine."

"Whoa? When? Really? How?"

"That warehouse at the fifty-fourth. But I still need to investigate. I'm not sure."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But how?"

"I don't know. I really need to fill in my suspicions before anything else."

"But what exactly are those suspicions?"

"I'm not sure about them yet. And I'm not really ready to tell them right now."

"I know you might be thinking that I'm askin' this out of the blue, but, do you really need a computer to investigate about Avenue fifty-fourth? You need to go there yourself, Robin."

"Yeah," Beast Boy chided, a suspicious face marked on it. "What exactly are you doing?"

Robin wasn't a bit guilty. "Inspecting the note Starfire left us."

"Oh, yeah?" Beast Boy sent him a wicked grin. "Filling in your suspicions _before_ anything else, huh?"

"Dude, can't you get over it?" Cyborg was exasperated on explaining him this. "You saw her under Slade's control, didn't you? She didn't write it. It's ridiculous."

"And even if she did," the Changeling turned to being serious, "she wasn't herself. We already told you several times before. Do you hear?"

The words of his friends went into one ear, and flew away from the other. He heard them, but wasn't listening. Bug difference.

He looked up the screen of his computer.

_Dearest friends, _

_It is I, Starfire. I have written this note purposefully for you, and not anyone else, my most cherished Titan friends, for the reason that I want to remind you of my safety, wherever I am gone. But I want to tell you also that I have gone for an important purpose. I want you to let go of the curiosities giving you the urge to follow me for my whereabouts. I wish for you, Robin, to partake in my will. It is either you listen to me, or you'll leave me frank. However, right now, I assume that you will stalk me either way. _

_I hate you. _

She actually said that. She had written those words herself. She said she _hates_ him.

The meaning of Starfire's words pricked his heart, causing that same pain when his parents were...

He hated Chicken Little. That little flake was only bringing tragedy into his mind, and wants him to cause this breakdown. He couldn't bring that memory back in his mind again. He had had enough emotions piled up for one day. And besides, the world might split in two when Raven sensed the flaming pain. He pushed that little feathered freak into its little henhouse of doom.

"Beast Boy," he started, and he pushed his hands against the edge of the table to push his chair backwards. He rose to walk towards the curious Changeling, holding the piece of paper in one hand. He thrust it to him, and Beast Boy held up his hands, as if expecting for Robin to send him to jail. But he thought his next words no more scary than his leader's look right now. "Smell."

Beast Boy was shocked. He let his hands fall to his sides, and crossed them over his chest afterwards, looking cynical.

"What do you want me to do? Track the smell?" Smelling things wasn't his cup of tea. His nose only cooperated with him when the object of fixation had a strong odor that made his task easily. And when he had an urgent thing to do, in which this situation wasn't.

Robin adapted his incredulous look. "Obviously."

"Dude, _Starfire_ _wrote_ that, _period_." He went on, enunciating every word. "Tracking the scent would be senseless. And maybe the scent won't go that far—that's a piece of paper, if you must know— if we want to track down Sla—"

"Smell." He charged the note toward him.

"What plan do you have in mind?" he insisted, his high-pitched voice slightly annoying Robin, and his waywardness majorly annoying him.

"We have to find out who wrote this. This note may be forged, we don't know. And this is the only way to find out."

"Oy. I get to smell a paper that doesn't even sme—"

"Smell." He turned his tone into an authoritative one.

"You've gotta be kiddin'!" And Beast Boy wasn't. "Cyborg and Rae are here—why me?"

"Dude," Cyborg got in-between the pointless argument, talking at his videogame buddy. "Trust me. If Robin hadn't done the impossible before, I'd be laughing at him, too."

"But—"

"I said SMELL!"

That shout jolted him into action. He grunted like he was over being scolded by his parents. He transformed into a dog, and sniffed the note for like an hour, which was only for fifteen seconds. Robin seemed uneasy, doing nothing in the time-clock. He didn't like waiting for the answer to just come around—he wanted to do some action. He wasn't sure if Beast Boy will be able to do this correctly, but...

"I picked up her scent!"

That shot the male Titans into action, and followed Beast Boy in his trails. Oddly, Robin thought...he was leading him to the ops room.

"Are you sure the scent's within the Tower?" Cyborg asked hesitantly. "I mean, of course Star's been in here for like, three months, but...why the ops room?"

Beast Boy replied by barking. He ran, and transformed into a human, with the two others following behind. "No. It isn't Starfire."

Robin flashed him a half-triumphant smile for proving he was correct, but also a half-worried frown that said he was anxious for who the culprit was.

"The scent's inside?" He asked.

"A hundred percent sure," BB saluted. "We just need to have a surprise attack, and then, _bam_! All problems, solved."

Cyborg pretty sure hoped it was. He crossed his fingers, and he pushed the button that commanded the door-opening sequence. Robin insisted to get in first, and wanted his thirst of curiosity quenched. He came in a rush, hands ready to strike. Beast Boy and Cyborg came behind him, and the green-man was shouting like he was saying, 'Commence attack!'

But the Boy Wonder stopped in his tracks once he saw the invader, and the once running and excited duos stopped to avoid banging against their leader. They froze in disbelief.

Beast Boy went as pale as Cyborg, who also had his jaw dropped. Robin had the blood boiling into him, as he stared at the familiar figure standing in the middle of the messed up common room. The man who sat there Mayor-like was the least man they'd ever expect to see for a million years.

Robin knew it. Robin knew that some kind trick would be pulled off like this.

"'Sup, kiddos?" The masked man said casually as stood up, and walked towards them. "Could people be actually that thick-headed? I was in this party room for like, fifteen minutes, and you haven't even figured out I was here. It seemed like as if you aren't taking these matters on seriously."

Robin studied his words. These. Matter_s_. _These matters_—plural. Did he have some connections with 'these matters'?

"What are you doing here, and I want an answer," Robin seethed, teeth gritted, hands fisted, eyes heated. "Red X?"

**Hmmm…I guess you now understood why I kept askin' y'all why this stupid plot is confusing. But I'm never discontinuing. **_**Never**_**. It may take months, but ****never****.**

**Author's Note: Got a little too long, I guess. And unclear. About those nanobots thing. But, I'll certainly let you find out about it **_**eventually**_**. **

**I'm sorry for everything. But, I guess I shoulda improved Robin's reaction about letting Star go.**

**Note: I rushed through this chapter—which is the exact reason why there shall be no teaser—and gave myself 10 hours to do this. For me, that's a little short, but, I think I did fine, except for the first part—you know, the part where they were chasing Starfire. **

**But, if tsk91 is reading this, this isn't the chapter where the mystery of why our alien princess had done Slade's commands, who, in several times, have tried to kill her and her friends. Just wait for a chapter titled Apprentice II—that ought to give y'all a clue.**

**Luv, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL, T-G-W-W-T-T-F-S :))))**


	9. Crisscrosses

**Author's Note: 1. I've got some good news, and I've got some bad news. Just read my news on the concluding author notes below.**

**Chapter nine schmine? Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it this far in 'just' forty-nine days. Well, I'm about to go farther.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans—DC Comics and Warner Brothers do—and also Peter Pan—it is a song of EXO, but the original classic one by J.M. Barrie—but I do own this story, only titled Peter Pan. I think it's alright though. **

**Dedication: I have made this because of you. So, if not enjoy, please just read.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Crisscrosses

* * *

_Calm down, Raven .Calm down._

The magic mistress sat in a dark corner of her room, chin on her knees. Both hands enclosed her bent legs. She locked the door, so it was completely dim and secure inside her room. Only a few streaks of early moonlight lightened the room, and the curtains swayed like dancing ghosts.

"Did I really blast that chair into pieces?" she mused aloud, for the third time. Her face reddened. She hated this game. She most repeatedly hated this part. That part when the memory would replay again.

_She clenched her fists, and her eyes glowed white. But, unexpectedly, he said, "Dressed in a to-die-for coat uniquely shaded a beautiful dark blue-violet, hair real cute with bangy bangs, coupled with sparkling soulful purple eyes."_

_There was a heartbeat of silence. Then, Raven's mind was suddenly exploding with thoughts she never thought she would ever think of. _

_She noticed Cyborg flash the green man a wink, and a smile. Was it a frivolous smile, she doesn't know. She was too busy concentrating on her thoughts to think about that. _

_Beast Boy had called her hair cute. He described her coat as to-die-for. He said her color was unique. _

_Raven's face turned a bright shade of pink. _

_He had called her eyes 'soulful'. Soulful, which means 'expressive'. Expressive, which means 'affecting'. Affecting, which means touching. Touching, which means moving, which means poignant', which means …_

_Emotional. He had called her emotional. Opposite to what people had thought of her._

_He'd actually called her emotional!_

Her face colored yet again, her hands that crossed her legs tightened around it. She went stiff as a rock. Steam started rising from above her head, and she would be whistling like a kettle if she were a cartoon character.

The memory went on.

Well, he had to be, _she thought, erasing the growing tension inside of her. _He had to be just joking. He had to be…he's just patronizing me…he is just making a joke…of course someone like the green idiot wouldn't be calling me emotional…he's too free-spirited, and…I… NO, _she scolded herself, thinking that she had to arrange her thoughts before any explosions happened. _He's just making a joke. That's right. A joke. So don't make a big deal out of—

_The door behind Raven was suddenly shattered, the source of fission reaction brimming with black energy. _

"_Raven?" Robin wheeled his chair, and looked blankly at the woman._

"_Oh, get back to work, you nosy parker," she dismissed. Despite her seemingly slackening reaction, she felt her insides stiffening and growing more and more rigid, that moving couldn't be possibly possible. _

_Black energy started circling Raven. She started to panic._

Oh no. This is bad. This is very, _very_ bad. This is _so_ bad.

_Her face reddened, and felt her heart beating fast. _

"_Um." _C'mon, come on! _She thought_. Think of a way to escape this…

_She backed out, but then she bumped against a chair, and she touched the brim of it for support. "I…"_ Okay. Anything to get out of this room without getting too obvious_. "I...uh… I need to get something in my room for—"_

_The chair was blasted into pieces. _

Was she that transparent? She winced at herself for being such a wet blanket.

"_Uh, Rae?" Beast Boy was alarmed instead of jokey. "Are you alright?"_

_His green, gentle eyes only set her heart fluttering. _

Ahhhh…his eyes aren't gentle! s_he reminded herself_. His eyes aren't gentle, his eyes aren't gentle, his green eyes aren't gentle, and his eyes aren't gentle_._

_This was getting worse. She was being too obvious._

"_Um. Yes, yes I am alright," she confirmed in awkward steadiness. "No need to follow me. Now shoo." She waved a hand at him. Her face got redder, and she couldn't control it. Control…speaking of control…it was too much emotion to take in._

_Beast Boy stepped forward, and offered a hand out to touch her shoulder. "A-are you su—"_

"_I am sure! Don't touch me! I'm fine!" she whacked the hand a little bit too hardly and left a mark. Beast Boy seemed hurt, though. But Raven kept hollering, which only concerned him further._

_Beast Boy looked painfully at the damage she made him. Raven inaudibly gasped, regretting this. But the Changeling won't be convinced._

"_B-but…" he stammered back. "I was only trying to help—"_

_Raven regretted still her next words. They just came out without warning, without sign of hesitation. _

"_Well, stop trying!"_

_She then disappeared. _And that was how she ended up sitting _alone_ in her room.

She was thankful that they don't know anything about her feelings with Beast Boy—

_Oh no_, she scolded herself. They don't know anything about her feelings with Beast Boy, because there are no feelings for Beast Boy. Period.

A minute passed, and Raven was up and running again. She stood in front of her Spanish-style mirror. She removed the hood of her cloak. _I mean, look at me! _She thought rather solemnly but with disgust towards herself. Thoughts disturbed her mind, and she was having a mental breakdown. They were things like 'How could someone like me in my condition?' and 'I must be going nuts. No one on this world has concern for you, Raven. Not _that_ kind of concern.' or something even worse like 'No one else in this world has put love into you, Raven. Not _that_ kind of love. It**'**s impossible.'

_Come to think of it…I never actually cared about my appearance ever before_…

Raven shook her head. She mustn't be thinking of things like that. Then she looked up.

A white patch of aura…she saw a white patch of aura smiling at her…wait. Wait here. What?

She closed her eyes tight. Then she cracked them open cautiously.

Still a glowing form of matter…smiling at her?

"What?" Raven startlingly looked at the ground and pretended that she didn't see anything, anyone.

The mirror suddenly split in several shards, finding its corners encased with the empath's energy. She looked up at her reflection, which was even worse with those cracks and fissures.

She gasped, closing her eyes, and put a hand to cover her mouth.

_Azarath metrion zinthos, _she chanted, trying to calm herself down. _Azarath metrion zinthos. _Her breaths came out puffing and fast, as if she were hyperventilating. But then, it eased down.

_Azar…help me_…

Then, she opened her eyes, hoping that the person she saw behind her in the mirror wasn't there.

But it was. Only, it wasn't a 'person'.

She studied her carefully. It was a…an average of about…a thirteen year old girl…with a…1900's blouse… hair tied in a tight braid… glowing with a small amount of light around her, kind of like what ghosts 'seem' to give off. She wore a child's doll gown, but it had no color, though it seemed something like a shade of brown.

A grandfather clock chimed, striking nine pm. She was too panicked of the fact that she wasn't alone in her room to think about the oddness of an old clock's presence.

Wait. Nine? Was it…nine already?

Last time she checked, it was…six. Six-thirty.

She was going crazy—all because of Beast Boy? Was this creepy thing of existence just a figment of her imagination? Was she just hallucinating?

No. It wasn't a hallucination.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and consoled herself. This is just a ghost. Ghosts can't harm you in any way, because they are _ghosts_. Yes. Right. No reason to panic.

She opened her eyes, a sudden burst of energy running through her veins. She quickly turned around, and shouted a typical "Ahhh!" then shot her telekinetic blasts, on top of sending the ghost black-energy-encased appliances. But they only flew through her transparent body.

"You!" she hissed, her black fisted hands shaking below the terrified girl's chin.

"Uh-huh," the phantom's voice trembled. She was trying to act as if she wasn't scared—it would utterly ruin her reputation. And her reputation is only her most prized possession. Ironic, of course, considering the fact that she was what she is.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" Being the telekinetic being that she was, ghosts must've not frightened her at all. But she had her reasons—valid and understandable reasons. Ghosts were never really her cup of tea.

"Don't worry, stop attacking." it whispered, hands raised in surrender. "I'm a friend."

_Don't listen to her. That must've been the presence I sensed in Robin's room that night…_

"This is just ludicrous," she said. "What did you do to Robin that night?"

**[Flashback]**_ Raven abruptly sat up, her head aching with different emotions erupting around every corner of the Titans' Tower. Sensing the one overcoming the other, she pulled out her communicator and contacted the Titans. She flew out her room, and she saw Beast Boy coming from that corner and Cyborg from the other. As expected, the half-man asked both of the present heroes. _

"_You heard it too?"_

"_Robin's room," Raven announced with genuine anxiety. "Titans, go!" _**[with reference to chap. Four, Foreseeing the Impending]**

"What night?" The girl seemed completely, totally confused. Or maybe she was just a good actress.

"You don't know?" Raven's face softened. After all, what could beings of her kind do to being of _her_ kind? "Do you have any ideas on what happened that…other night with…"

Great. She's having a conversation with a talking, transparent essence carved out of air.

"Ah, I get it. That night with Robin," the ghost held her forehead, fumed, as if she was tired of talking. But then, her annoyed expression relaxed when she realized that the pale faced woman—whoever she was, whom she suspected as one of Robin's friends—had the right to be angry. "I did not do any harm to him." Her expression turned serious. Grim and serious. "But I am here, warning you—that girl, that girl that should be sued for exploitation. She is coming back."

A girl that should be sued for exploitation. Does she know anyone that should be sued for exploitation?

"Wait." Raven knew that she needn't trust this ghost. She was, after all, a thin, transparent cold gust of force. But she felt she had no choice. With two idiotic inventors who invented the stinking 'stankball' (namely Cyborg and Beast Boy), a stupid, thick-skinned pinhead who only cared about himself (referred to Robin), and a friend who didn't want to listen to them (being Starfire), who can you trust?

"Wait a minute, I don't follow," the empath said. "What gir—"

"And," the ghost waved an urgent and serious voice. "Get your other friends ready. I sense that bad things are coming your way."

Bad things? Wasn't a fight between the two of her teammates, a vengeful cousin on the loose, resurrected cockroach back for a fight**(1)**, a brainwashed murderous friend, and a ghost—more like a cold pile of air—talking to her not enough to be considered as Pandora 's Box?

She had a feeling about this. And it wasn't good.

Raven looked at the ground for a second, thinking. Then she looked up. "But what about that—"

The ghost was already gone. Along with the clock.

"Wait!" But Raven only talked to thin air. "Come back! I didn't even get to know your name!"

A girl that should be 'sued for exploitation', she said. She doesn't know anyone that must be sued for exploitation.

The only newbie she met for the time being was…

Galactica. Did she get the name right?

Yes, yes, her name is Galactica.

Sued for exploitation…sued for exploitation…sued for exploitation? It doesn't make sense.

Then suddenly, she felt a presence materialize behind her, and a monotonous tone nailed it. "Awake from your trance, friend." It threw Raven off balance.

She turned around. The ghost was still there. She was there, acting as though she thought that she was wrong to put her trust in this demonic-looking woman. Her slightly faded face scared her—diluted eyes, stiff body, tight jaws, fisted hands, cold expression.

"I have told you to get moving," she said, as though hurt. "Why are you not doing so?"

"Wait." Raven turned the blank, senseless conversation upside-down. "I didn't get to ask you an important question. Who are you?"

The ghost looked away, eyes faraway. "My identity does not matter. But I presume that my name is…Aica."

"Aica?" Raven said, studying the name. _That's a pretty neat name_. "Well, Aica, are you spying on me?"

Aica's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were trustworthy," she mumbled, inaudibly.

"What?" Raven deadpanned, her typical deadpanning attitude playing on her lips. "What are you saying?"

Ghost girl shook her head, as if she was trying to clear it off of the things flooding it. "Quickly. Warn

Robin of what I have acquainted you with."

* * *

"Red X?" Cyborg gaped at the masked man who casually sitting on the biggest couch inside the Tower. "What are you doing here? You're the least expected human being here, you know."

He laughed. "You might actually wanna take this as a gift, not as a threat," Red X said, toying with a DVD case he pulled out from under the couch. "I'm here to do a favor for you."

"H-hey!" Beast Boy ran towards him to claim the compact disk. "We just bought that last two days and we haven't even used it! That costs nine bucks, dude!"

"I don't care what amount this useless cd costs," X uttered, raising the disc above his head so Beast Boy couldn't reach it. Then, he let the cd fall to the ground, and then stepped on it, soft, cracking sounds coming from the base of his foot.

"Wha—" The Changeling acted outrageous. "A favor, really." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, _right_."

Robin found his green-skinned teammate's stupidity mildly amusing. He turned to the thief. "I don't see how coming here without either permission would be considered as a threat, X," Robin said, fighting stance. His other hand on the back of his torso was moving with anticipation, eager to take out his weapons to torture the intruder. "And we haven't asked you anything for anyone." He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at him. "Do you know something?"

_These matters_…that's a big clue.

Red X chuckled. "Something what?"

Robin took out his staff and pointed it at him. "Play innocent, and get ready to get chucked right out of the window."

"Aw, man, am I scared." He swatted the metallic baton with his right hand nonchalantly. "Really. You're a dope, aren't you? You think I'll do it for nothing?"

The Boy Wonder scoffed at him. "Would that be called as a 'favor', then?"

Red X scoffed back at him. "But what if I tell you that I _do_ know something, huh?" He looked elatedly at Robin's masked eyes with a devilish grin. "What's in it for me?"

Robin glanced outside, and watched the lightning flash followed by a clap of thunder. "A city still left standing."

"A city left-sta—" Red X choked on his words. "Dude, you're way overthinking this."

"No," he fired. "I'm way over figuring his case out."

Beast Boy piped up. "Both statements are just ditto."

Red X smiled malevolently. "Let's just get this straight." He looked at his fingernails casually as if he could see them through that Kevlar. "See…I want…xynothium."

Robin's narrowed eyes tightened even further. "You think I'll let you continue your thievery?"

"Says the guy who did something even worse to a teammate," Red X hastened.

_Says the guy who did something even worse to a teammate?_ Robin thought._ Now how did he kno—_

"I thought you might say that," X continued. "That's why I brought this here."

Robin and the others became short of breath. They gaped at the thing that Red X held out onto his palm. It was a Titan communicator with a small wire connected to the top socket, just like the way when he presented the thing in front of Starfire. "Is that…"

"Cutie's communicator." Red X snickered. "Might as well want to listen to what I made her to, would you?" He threw the one-ounce spherical item and the Boy Wonder caught it.

He played the saved soundtrack. It…it was his…his voice.

"_Look, Starfire doesn't matter. We're going to have to defeat Slade. What do you choose, let the city lying in its ruins, or let Starfire do what she wants to do? Leave her alone, will you? She's pathetic. Doesn't need to come with us. Now, will you cut it out?" _

Then, a small 'beep' ended the transaction.

Oh no. Bad news. A terrible, horrible bad news. Cyborg and Beast Boy stood, with their jaws hitting the floor.

So…that was… so that was why she…

"Have you been following us?" Beast Boy asked as harshly as he could.

"Matter of time for you to know," Red X mocked.

"Stealthy?" Cyborg said. "I haven't thought of you as _too_ stealthy…"

"I'm a thief," he dismissed matter-of-factly. He was waiting for Robin's response, but these two comrades couldn't stop their mouths from moving. "You could expect that."

The Boy Wonder turned his head to face him. He narrowed his eyes at him—for the fifth time—as if he could figure out what X's plan is just by reading the information behind that mask. "Xynothium, you say?" Robin was going to do anything to get her back. He _needs_ to. An explanation is what Starfire best needs to hear—before Slade makes her do anything treacherous.

"Righto, kiddo," he said, sending a finger-gun at him. "Xynothium."

"What?" Cyborg hissed. "Rob, are you serious? Giving xynothium to this guy…"

"Unthinkable." Beast Boy mused aloud. "I thought you were going to command us to continue the search all over again instead of giving that guy a chance for more of that what-hothium."

Robin hated these guys interfering with someone else's decision.

He turned to Red X. He supposed he could find the delicate item in the market in no time. The time is ticking fast. He glanced at the wall clock. Six thirty-three. Enough time.

He looked at Red X in the eye. What a burden this situation was for him….

The Boy Wonder sighed. "How much do you want?"

* * *

Cold, heavy raindrops continued to pound on her. Starfire was taking the dark boulevard void of attention from people. That was the least thing that she needed right now. She carried the briefcase in one hand…and she found it surprisingly heavy for a piece of laptop. Unless, of course, the case contained something different else.

Oh, it's impossible. Robin usually hides his most important possession in a secure attaché case, exactly like this one. And Starfire figured that his most prized possession must be his laptop. Wasn't it the device where he keeps record of the Titans everyday tasks, researches possible strategies and plans that villains have got under their sleeves, or maintains the security systems of the Tower and monitors the surveillance cameras in times where there was a break-in? It would be impossible that the item inside the case wouldn't be his laptop. She reckoned that Slade must've asked her of something like this to manipulate him to fight him.

He commanded her to come into the Tower, then steal something that would theoretically provoke him. Starfire had seen Robin many times open that briefcase and stare into it emotively, or something close to that. She didn't know how to describe it when Robin looked into that briefcase—the only thing she knew is that he never wanted anyone to even get close to the object. Many times she tried to get him out of his room to eat dinner or something, she caught him doing that, then tersely closes it and acts naturally. She doesn't know…she has a feeling that this must be something special to him.

Stealing it…illegitimately stealing something important from Robin makes her feel like a criminal, which she wholly knew she wasn't.

For the least…

But, if it isn't a laptop…perhaps it was an old-model one?

Let's see the odds…what was the amount of chance that this briefcase might contain a laptop? Very slim. As for the odds, it will be either his laptop, or it isn't. That puts the odds to zero percent or a hundred percent. There are no fractions, just chances, which makes her nauseated.

Wait. Why was she thinking of what that briefcase might contain, anyway? The content of the case is not important.

Starfire jumped from block by block, and ran to the speed that her little dark heart desired. Then she reached the place. Avenue fifty-fourth.

Panting, she wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. Exhausted as she was, even though she wanted to rest, just for a little bit, she kept fighting for the consciousness that would keep her thriving. She entered the dark, desolate room where Slade had commanded her to meet him.

She looked around, yet saw no one. She stepped cautiously inside, her footsteps echoing in the vast boardroom. When she struggled to adjust her eyesight to the dark and failed, she gave up and instead commanded on the villain's presence.

"I have brought you what you wanted."

Starfire heard paces. She turned to her fighting stance, and alerted herself from any sudden attacks that might happen. Then, she heard Slade clapping his hands as he appeared from the dark.

"Well, well, well."

"I," she repeated in utter, vehement enunciation, the words coming out bitterer and harsher than she'd intended, "have brought you what you wanted." She didn't want any senseless things to be discussed at the moment.

"Well done, my dear apprentice," Slade said, formally. Then, he stopped his motion, and frowned at her coldly. "But not very well said."

"I do not care that much if I have offended you with my speaking," Starfire stonily replied. "I am not your apprentice, and never will I be." She meant it when she said it. "I am doing this for my friends, and you must know that very well."

"Is not that just sweet and dramatic?" he chuckled. "As expected for a gullible teammate. Risking the trust of your friends to save them…works every time, doesn't it?"

Slade was being the hard-hearted being that he was.

"No," Starfire countered. "I believe I would regain their trust soon." She looked away from him. She sure hoped that it would be soon since that will happen…which she doubted that it will. "They will understand the reason for this." Then she glared at him. "But the purpose of all this remains a mystery to me."

Slade scoffed, then walked towards her. His palm was held out without any signs that could cause alarm, thank X'hal. "Would you please be kind as to hand over that briefcase first?" It was more of a command than a request. "It was, after all, the basis of our agreement."

Starfire tensed and backed out. "This briefcase would be safe and sound in my control, and you can have it once you state what I want to know!"

"Fine." Slade let his hand drop on his side, then retreated himself. He looked at Starfire, who was brimming with alertness. But not too alert to be able to figure out how he'll get the item in his grasp. "But you chose it your way." Slade snapped his fingers, and immediately Sladebots came out from his behind and attacked Starfire. All versus one wasn't a fair fight, so she was defeated at once.

"No!" she pleaded, as Slade reached in to get the briefcase. Starfire was busy defending herself from the androids, so her priority drawn away. "You will not win this, Slade! I would find a way and save my friends in a blink of an eye!"

"Such bold words for a girl who is under control of my power." He dusted off the front of the case. "If you didn't want to serve me, you shouldn't have been such a fool and never went with Red X."

"The nanobots you placed inside my friends' body will be destroyed, and you shall suffer in the hands of X'hal!" She was hopeful she will…

"Ah, the nanobots." Slade mused, as if he was in sudden realization. "Yes, yes. I've been currently working on that." He placed the briefcase inside a safe, then locked it. "If you would just stay still and put down your defenses," he referred to the starbolt she was pointing toward him, "I might actually have the patience to spare their lives even just for a few…minutes, hours?" He walked over a desk, then pulled open one drawer. "We don't know, really." He picked up a control which had a red button on the top. Starfire gasped.

It was the same control that he used to almost kill them!

Slade smirked at the sparkling fear forming on Starfire's eyes. The hint of recognition that he saw in them made him feel triumphant.

"I could do it now—"

"No!" Starfire hastened, letting her hands fall on her sides. "I would…wait for your command…"

"Not very well said, my apprentice." Slade's finger was just above the button that would command a dangerous task.

"As you wish," Starfire painfully said, looking at the ground with gritted teeth. "Master."

Slade laughed a triumphant laugh. "Well said." He threw the control back in the drawer. "Complete the task of spreading the Thermonuclear Detonators throughout the city." He threw a scrolled paper at her, which she caught effortlessly. "That's the blueprint. And I want it done in the time indicated."

Slade readied himself to disappear, but Starfire's voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

He looked at her in grave.

"Are you not going to tell me what your plan is—"

"My dear," he said matter-of-factly, "I am not foolish enough as to tell you something so fragile."

Then he disappeared.

* * *

Raven floated above the linoleum floors, and was about to tell Robin about what happened, but when she entered the room, only the voice of Robin shouting flooded her ears.

"Now. Answers."

Then she turned her head towards Red X. "But what if I told you that I lied?"

Wait a minute. What was Red X doing here?

"You insolent fool!" Robin leaped at Red X, then pinned him to the wall. "Speak. That's an order."

Raven was about to step forward and speak up to set these things clear. But just then, frost started creeping in.

Wait. Raven remembered this scene from...was it the day before yesterday or the day before that?

A blond lady materialized in the middle of all that icy vortex.

The Titans immediately recognized her.

"Wait." Beast Boy was thinking. "Icy-freak?"

'Icy-freak' completely ignored him and turned to Robin. She stared directly into those eyes, which she was sure were feeling guiltless and innocent.

With a scoff and a smile, she continued, "Remember me?"

Visions…Raven saw darkness in the heart of this person…shadows…memories…

**[Flashback]**…(Galactica's point of view) _Walking towards his room…waiting for him to turn his attention away from those cruddy newspapers and stop staring at that radiation-emitter thingy—whatever you call that light-producing box-like device that gives you instant information from what earthlings call…the internet? Well, she didn't care. She wanted to throw those giant gazettes, smash that information-processor, and fulfill her plan…which she proudly thought was unstoppable and presumably fated, as if it was really bound to happen. Queen Galactica…the words sounded too good to be true. And she was about to make it true._

No, no. No dwindling away this time. Just do what you have to do for the time-being, then Mister Robin wouldn't be standing in your way. Nothing would stand in your way, Galactica. Nothing.

_After four hours of looking up and researching things on the internet, Robin finally sat relaxingly, although a little bit exhaustedly, on his chair. Finally. A chance to sneak in…_

_Oh no. Robin reached from under those piles of worksheets, and pulled out a picture frame. Then he whispered the name of the face that seemed to look at him through that glassed framework. _

_Okay. Perfect chance. She appeared and purposefully meant to look threatening before she stood in front of him. _

_Frost started creeping in. The window panes were suddenly covered by solid ice. _

_The curtains swayed, and she made the clouds above her flash with lightning and roar with thunder. The newspapers on his table was blown and scattered everywhere. The sheets on his bed flew. And the lampshade beside him sparked and died. Suddenly, she noticed something…odd._

_Beside the window, in front of Robin's desk. There was suddenly a grandfather clock._

_The presence of the thing slightly frightened her…but she only stood there, still. _

_She ignored it completely. She focused on the task in front of her. _

_Only she didn't know that the grandfather clock was a sign of a warning._

_But Galactica really didn't care. She was about to make her destiny. This…this is an important scene in the story that would mark in history._ **[with reference to chapter four, Foreseeing the Impending.]**

"You." Raven pointed the Finger of Accusation that mothers usually shot at their children at her. "You're the one who—"

"I am not talking to you, witch." She pointed her own finger at her, but this time, it sent a cold breeze that covered her whole body with ice. Raven became unmovable for a second, then instantly thawed. But she felt weak and cold, and fell down on her knees.

"Rae!" Beast Boy came running and kowtowed beside her. "Are you alright?"

"You?" Robin let go of Red X, but didn't let his guard down. He had two villains to deal with, but he was sure that it would be easy to take them down. "Starfire's…cousin?"

"Precisely," she said. "So I guess that foolish criminal already told you about me. That's good. I don't need to introduce myself to you, then."

"Ooo, cutie's cousin?" Red X purred. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

_Why didn't you tell me that?_ Robin repeated inwardly. Another big clue. _Who is this girl?_

"Who are you?" Cyborg asked it for Robin, putting up his cannon and pointing it at her. "And why y'all keep on butting on us?"

"Oh, I ain't butting on you, sweeties," she said, laughing, casually adopting his Southern voice, holding Cyborg's chin.

"Then what do you call this?" Robin challenged. "Interfering, I suppose?"

She turned to look at him, and walked towards the said leader. "Quite the little joker, huh?" she laughed. "Trying to intimidate me then, I suppose, too?"

"What are you here for?" The Boy Wonder seethed.

Galactica chocked on her words. "What am I here fo—?" then her face softened. "I'm here for something…something...to make you bring my naughty little cousin in court."

"What?" Beast Boy hollered, trying to defend his fellow Titan. "She hasn't done any crime!"

She smiled smugly. "I knew it. You were hiding her from me, aren't you?"

"As we said, she has not done any crime." Raven emphasized.

"In your knowledge, I guess," she said.

"Who are you?" the empath fired. "Do you even have the right to arrest her?"

She looked at her, emotionless. "I fathom she doesn't know anything about me now." She looked away, eyes faraway. "And doesn't even intend to know about me anything. Useless friend." The words she said were hardly audible and the Titans needed to strain to hear what she was saying. But, she then clearly continued with a louder voice, saying gravely, "You don't know who you are dealing with. Technically, that's even a whole lot better." The pupils of her eyes diluted with satisfaction, realizing that her plan has gone way easier. She looked at the Titans one by one, then finally at Red X and his bag of xynothium.

"Au revoir."

Then she disappeared, along with Red X, traces of ice replacing her place.

The Titans and the others were dumbstruck at their sudden disappearance.

Robin leaned his forehead against the wall, then bumped his fist against it in anger. Not only had he lost the chance of finding more about Slade, but he had let two bad guys gone without a trace.

"Robin," Beast Boy comforted, "I'm sure we'll get through this."

Raven doubted it. She looked up, then spoke. "Blunder," she said, standing up. "This ghost appeared to me and told me something."

That sent him and the others out of their skin. "A ghost?" the three males cried in unison.

The combined loud voices irritated her. "You don't have to repeat what I say," she informed them. "But listen. She told me these exact words. 'I am here, warning you, that the girl that should be 'sued for exploitation'," Raven still didn't understand this part up to this time, "is coming back for something selfish."

"Exploitation?" Cyborg said, confused.

"I didn't get it either," Raven agreed. "But she also said that I need to get all of you ready. That bad things…are coming our way."

"Bad things?" Beast Boy mused. "Isn't that warning a little late?"

"That's what I thought too," Raven supported, feeling a little downhearted at the fact. The statement wasn't only whacking her head making it ache like there was no tomorrow, but also depressing her to the end. But being the rational person she was, she thought it logically. "But paranormal things like her wouldn't be reminding us of such things if they weren't true."

Then it hit her. Like a cold block of ice. "But the odd thing is…she appeared with a clock. A clock…I dunno if I even had to mention this to you, but…the clock weirdly said that it was nine pm, when it totally wasn't."

"A clock?" Robin asked, blurred memories of a particular previous night alarming him. "Wait. What kind of clock?"

"Grandfather," she replied, snappish. "Why?"

_Twenty-sixth year old actress and supermodel Victoria Hayden _his mind jarred,_ killed mysteriously when a fire ate up her mansion in Jump City, in the night of November 15, 1959._

"What's the name of the ghost, did she tell you?"

He expected for her to say _Victoria Hayden_, but got a different answer.

"Her name is Aica," she obediently replied, but was still utterly confused of her friend's sudden rush of eccentric questions. "Why still?"

He didn't understand why, but he felt the Andrenaline rush in his veins stop cold. He sighed, and looked at the ground.

"Never mind."

But at the same time, he saw a piece of paper on the ground.

Cyborg bent to pick it up. When he read it, he froze. He gave it to Robin.

X had left a note.

_9 : 0 0 p m_

* * *

**(1) I considered Slade as a resurrected cockroach. Ya know, a cockroach has the orange and black colors, right? Well, if not orange, maybe reddish brown. But it's close enough.**

**Bad news—school's next week, so I may not update for a **_**very**_** long time. **

**Good news—you'll know it when you smell it. [Or in this case, 'read'.]**

**2. I'm sorry if this chappie's confusing. Tell me if I missed something and if there's something you wanna know, so I could let you know it. **

**3. I haven't updated that much recently 'cuz…I have my reasons. I wanted to update my story for, like, last, last week, but then I had these simultaneous disturbances. One week vacation. Another week outing. One night camping, then four days hiking. (But I've gotta admit, that four-day hike was a good experience…my cousins' sense of humor are the hoot.) And while I was gone, I had this, like, eternal damnation from PCs. Oh, not eternal. I've been writing since…the last two days, ha.**

**4. Thanks for dropping by! :) I dunno why, but I feel so extremely happy. ^_^ **

**5. Oh, and, before you leave, please rate from A to E.**

**Luv, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of GaL—da gal who is an utter idiot, a blabbermouth, and **_**most**_** importantly, a **_**scatterbrain**_**—T-G-W-W-T-T-F-S :))**


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